Canoeing is a water sport that involves paddling a small, narrow, lightweight boat with points at both ends, using a single-bladed paddle. It can be done for sport, recreation, or competition, and is often used for touring or cruising, travel in wilderness areas, or wild-water sport. Canoeing is an ancient mode of transportation, and modern recreational canoeing was established in the late 19th century. Canoeing associations from Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden founded the Internationalen Representation for Kanusport in 1924, which was the forerunner of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) . Canoeing became part of the Olympic Games in the summer of 1936.
Some key points about canoeing include:
- Canoeing is often combined with other activities such as canoe camping, or where canoeing is merely a transportation method used to accomplish other activities.
- In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an open canoe.
- Canoeing can be enjoyed as a racing sport, and is performed in the river, mostly in large rivers where the players race while sitting in the boat.
- Canoeing can be played as a single person or as a team, and whoever reaches the destination point in the minimum possible time wins the race.
- Other forms of canoeing as a sport include canoe racing, canoe polo, canoe freestyle (playboating), extreme racing, canoe marathon, canoe slalom, and surf skiing.
It is important to note that the term "canoeing" has a different meaning in the Urban Dictionary, where it refers to a sexual position with three people.
