First used by the native Ainu, Aleut and Eskimo hunters kayak is a small human powered boat. In some parts of the world it is also referred to as Canoe. It is basically a “man’s boat” or a “hunter’s boat” that the natives used for their very personal usage.
A typical Kayak is basically a narrow boat with a covered deck and a small hole where the boater sits. A double bladed oar is used to propel this amazing boat. With time the use of it has changed from necessity to sports activity. More and more people are using this boat for fun in water whether it is sea, river or ocean!
The design of kayak has changed drastically over the years solely based upon its usage. The different types of it are sit-on top, recreational, whitewater, surf, wave skis, racing etc. The materials used are also different from the traditional types. Aluminum, wood, plastics are all used nowadays. Even inflatable kayaks are used to store them away in the luggage and move along when you need them. Our website Ancient Olympic Games will provide you ample amount of information on this one of the ancient and world famous games.
It is introduced into the Olympic Games comparatively recently. Olympic Games saw its inauguration in the year 1924. Yet, it was not till 1936, 12 years later, that flat water kayak gained full Olympic status, the last being held in Beijing, China in the year 2008 from August 11th to August 23. The year 1972 saw the introduction of whitewater version of it known as Slalom, all credits to its popularity.
Flat water kayak races are mostly held on calm water in a stretch of 500m or 1000m course. As for the slalom races the stretch of covering up is 300m course. Gold, silver and bronze are awarded in all Olympic flat water racing events of kayaking. The next Olympics games will be held in London UK in the year 2012 from 27 July to 12 August.