Whitewater Slalom is a competitive sport where the aim is to navigate a decked canoe or Kayak through a course of hanging gates on the river in the fastest time possible. It is one of the two Kayak and Canoe disciplines at the Summer Olympics, and is referred to by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as either Kayak Slalom or Canoe Slalom.

Rules:
Each gate consists of two poles hanging from a wire strung across the river. There are 18-25 (although nowadays there are more often near 18 than 25) numbered gates in a course and they are colored as either green (downstream) or red (upstream), indicating the direction they must be negotiated. Upstream gates are often placed in eddies, where the water is flat or moving slightly upstream; the paddler makes the 'breakout' from the main current and paddles upstream through the gate. Most slalom courses take 80 to 120 seconds to complete for the fastest paddlers. Depending on the level of competition, difficulty of course, degree of water turbulence and ability of the other paddlers, times can go up to 200 seconds. Each competitor has two runs on the course, and the final result is the best of the two runs, 2009 IFC, IOC, rule changes. If the competitor's boat, paddle or body touches either pole of the gate, a time penalty of two seconds is added. If the competitor misses a gate completely, displaces it by more than 45 degrees, goes through the gate upside-down, or goes through it in the wrong order, a 50 second penalty is given.

History:
Whitewater Slalom made its debut during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany and did not reappear until the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain.

Although many whitewater slalom events are still held on natural river courses, there are an increasing number of artificial whitewater courses being constructed and used for international competition around the world. The United States National Whitewater Center (http://www.usnwc.org), located outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, is the nation's first fully artificial whitewater course. A training site for many athletes, the U.S. National Whitewater Center was the official site of the 2008 Olympic Team Trials for whitewater slalom.
Slalom boats have benefited greatly from advancements in technology. They are now lighter, sleeker, and faster. Made from carbon, Kevlar and epoxy resin, they are light and stiff but still fragile compared to plastic boats. All slalom boats must meet minimum length and weight requirements. Kayaks have to weigh more than 9 kg (about 20 pounds), be more than 3.5 m (11 feet) long, and 60cm (around 2 feet) wide.Whitewater Slalom is part of the Olympic Summer Games in 1972, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008.

ICF Proposed Slalom Rule Changes for 2009/2010  Proposed ICF Slalom Rules

In summary:

Any Rule Change should

• Increase the excitement of the sport for both Competitors and Spectators.
• Simplify events for organizers, make the sport easier to understand for Spectators, and, where possible, make the event fairer for Competitors.
• Increase the opportunity for Athletes to compete in high-level international competitions.
• Be conducive to increasing participation in the sport of slalom at both national and international levels.
• Advance the sport in the Olympic Games.

The four main ideas are as follows:

1. Introduction of an ICF World Ranking that not only considers World Cups, World Championships and Olympics, but also considers designated International Events. This World Ranking will also, in part, determine World Cup entries.
2. The Format of the World Cup, World Championships and Olympics will include an additional “Extreme” slalom race. This format is shorter (6-10 gates) and more difficult than the current format. The format of progression through these competitions (both classic and extreme) will also be changed.
3. The penalty and gates requirements will be changed. Most notably, the penalty for touching a gate will be reduced to 1 second, with a gradual phasing out of touch penalties altogether with the appropriate gate technology. In addition, the introduction of single pole gates will simplify organisation and judging at events without loss of the challenge inherent in slalom.
4. Introduction of C-1W in the 2010 World Championships.

Measurement Requirements:
All types of K1 Minimum length 3.50 m minimum width 0.60 m
All types of C1 Minimum length 3.50 m minimum width 0.65 m
All types of C2 Minimum length 4.10 m minimum width 0.75 m
7.1.2 Minimum Weight of Boats
(The minimum weight of the boat is determined when the boat is dry)
All types of K1 9 kg.
All types of C1 10 kg.
All types of C2 15 kg.
7.1.3 All boats must have a minimum radius at each end of 2 cm horizontally and 1 cm vertically.
7.1.4 Rudders are prohibited on all boats
7.1.5 Boats must be designed to, and remain within, the required dimensions.
7.1.6 Kayaks are decked boats, which must be propelled by double bladed paddles and inside which the competitors sit.

Slalom courses are usually on class II-IV Rapids. Some courses are technical, containing many rocks. Others are on stretches containing fewer rocks and larger waves and holes.

Slalom canoeing made its Olympic debut in 1972 in Augsburg, W. Germany. It was not seen again until 1992 in Seu d'Urgell as part of the Barcelona games. Since then, slalom paddling has been a regular at the Olympics.

List of Olympic locations:

• 1972: Augsburg, W. Germany
• 1992: La Seu d'Urgell, Spain
• 1996: Ocoee River, U.S.A.
• 2000: Penrith, Australia
• 2004: Athens, Greece
• 2008: Shunyi, China
• 2012: FUTURE: Broxbourne, England

The 1972 Olympics in Augsburg were held on an artificial whitewater course. The Eiskanal set the stage for the future of artificial course creation. With the exception of the altered river bed of the Ocoee River in 1996, every Olympic venue has involved extensive man made features and river bed creation/modification. Since the late 80s, artificial course creation has surged; now most countries that field Olympic slalom teams have more than one artificial course to train on. Artificial river creation has evolved and new courses have fewer issues than the some of the initial designs. Artificial rivers / creeks offer a controlled environment that offers a more consistent field of play for slalom racers and better viewing for spectators. However, natural river courses are still utilized in many national and international slalom races throughout the world.