Welcome to the Paracanoe discipline page. In this section you can learn about the sport and the equipment it uses. You can also find out how to get involved, look for a club that offers Paracanoe related activities near you and check out some upcoming events to go and enjoy.
Paracanoe is the canoeing discipline for athletes with physical disabilities.
It allows individuals with various impairments to participate in the sport of canoeing, using specially adapted equipment and classifications to ensure fair competition.
Paracanoe Races and Boats
At international level, all Paracanoe races are individual events and compete at a distance of 200 metres on flat water courses.
Races are contested by two types of boat, kayak (K) and va'a (V).
The kayak is propelled by a double-blade paddle, while the va'a is an outrigger canoe which has an ama (second pontoon) as a support float and is used with a single-blade paddle.
Paracanoe Classes
Both kayak and va'a have three different classes of events for men and women, depending on the classification of an athlete's impairment, with KL1, KL2 and KL3 for kayak and VL1, VL2 and VL3 for va'a.
- KL1 - Athletes with no or very limited trunk foundation and typically need a specific seat with a high back rest in the kayak
- VL1 - Athletes with no or extremely limited trunk function and no function in the legs. Athletes in this category will need a seat which has high back and lateral support
- KL2 - Athletes with partial trunk or leg function, able to sit upright in the kayak but may require a specific backrest. Limited leg movement during paddling.
- VL2 - Athletes are given a score on their trunk and leg function. This class is for athletes who score lower on the trunk function but have a higher leg function score, or vice versa.
- KL3 - Athletes with trunk function and partial leg function. Able to sit with trunk in a forward flexed position and able to use at least one leg/prosthesis
- VL3 - Athletes with full dynamic trunk function or almost full full dynamic trunk function and partial leg function.
For further information on classification ask PaddleBot at the bottom of the page. Or you can head over to the Classification section linked here.
GB Paracanoe on the World Stage
Great Britain leads the nation in the world for Paracanoe. Some of the biggest names in the sport for GB include multiple World and Paralympic Champions Emma Wiggs MBE, Jeannette Chippington OBE, Charlotte Henshaw MBE and Laura Sugar MBE.
The discipline featured under the name Paddleability at the 2009 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Canada, and was given official status as Paracanoe at the 2010 World Championships in Poland. Paracanoe made its debut at the Paralympic Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, with Va'a making its debut at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Getting Involved
At grass-roots level, several canoe clubs specialise in Paracanoe, alongside the Paracanoe Talent Academy, set up to help athletes to continue their development.
Royal Leamington Spa, Addlestone Canoe Club, Solihull and Norwich Canoe Club all have specialist facilities and coaching to support people to try paddling. Hit the Get Involved tab above to search for these clubs, or ask PaddleBot below for contact details.
As well as the clubs, Attila Herbent, Paddle UK's Paracanoe talent pathway coach, offers paracanoe introduction days at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham.
If you're interested in getting involved, contact Attila through the form linked here. He'd love to hear from you.