Slalom canoeing

Whitewater Slalom is a competitive sport where the aim is to navigate a decked canoe or kayak through a course of gates on river rapids in the fastest time possible. It is one of the two kayak and canoeing disciplines at the Summer Olympics, and is referred to by the IOC as "canoe/kayak slalom". The other Olympic canoeing discipline is canoe/kayak flatwater. There is also wildwater, a non-Olympic paddlesport. Whitewater slalom racing started in Europe and in the 1940s, the International Canoe Federation was formed to govern the sport. The first World Championships was held in 1949 in Switzerland. Since then, they were held every two years. Foldboats were used back then. In the early 1960s boats were made of fiberglass, and nylon. Boats were heavy, usually over 30 pounds. With the advent of kevlar being used in the early 1970s, the widths of the boats being reduced by the I.C.F.,and the boats being reduced in volume to sneak the gates, and boats became much lighter and faster. From 1949 to 1977 all World Championships were held in Europe. The first World Championship held in North America was held at Jonquiere, in Quebec, Canada in 1979.
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