TEAM GB are sending NO canoe sprinters to the Olympic Games for the first time ever.
Britain has a long tradition of success from canoeists and kayakers on flatwater, notably winning gold medals at the Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games.
They have had at least one person in GB colours in the sport since its permanent introduction on the Olympics programme in Berlin in 1936.
But in Paris, nobody has qualified for the 10 disciplines at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in an embarrassing turn.
And though they are sending four slalomists, this absence in the sprint domain could impact on their National Lottery funding for the LA 2028 Games.
Paddle UK, formerly known as British Canoeing, blame the removal of the quickfire 200 metres events from the schedule as the biggest contributing factor.
Former Olympic gold medallist Liam Heath retired after the Tokyo Games in 2021 and Britain also missed out on qualification for the women’s K4 500 metres class by one place.
Chris Furber, performance director of Canoe Sprint at Paddle UK, said: “We’re disappointed that there will be no canoe sprint athletes representing Team GB.
“It was hugely disappointing for our paddlers, who committed and sacrificed so much to try and qualify.
“We came up short on this occasion and we know that we need to better our performances if we are to be competitive at the very top level of the sport.
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“Following the Tokyo 2020 Games, we have been through a huge change.
“We have been working hard to deliver our plans upon which we can build on with the aim to qualify boats for LA in 2028.”
Team GB are sending 327 athletes – 155 men and 172 women – to Paris across 24 sports.
