Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet has expressed his excitement at seeing kayak cross hit the Olympic stage after playing an instrumental role in the development of the event.
Kayak cross is making its Olympic debut in Paris – less than 10 years after it was first devised.
Mr Estanguet was Vice President of the International Canoe Federation at the time when discussions over the creation of kayak cross started.
Working with the ICF Canoe Slalom Committee, led by Jean-Michel Prono, Mr Estanguet helped to turn kayak cross from an idea into a medal event that is now part of the Olympic programme.
Originally called extreme slalom, it first appeared as a demonstration event at the 2015 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in Pau, France, after teams were invited to participate by Mr Estanguet.
Two years later, kayak cross made its debut at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Mr Estanguet’s home city.
As kayak cross evolved over the years, Mr Estanguet has continued to champion the event and cannot wait for it to feature at the Olympics.
“It’s come a long way,” he said, speaking to the ICF during his visit to Vaires-sur-Marne on Monday.
“At that time, 10 years ago, it was a reflection to see how we can promote and develop canoeing and try to enlarge a little bit the number of people that will be interested in our sport.
“I am sure it’s maybe easier to understand, it is a little bit different so hopefully it will be impactful.”
Using plastic boats and double-bladed paddles, competitors begin the race by sliding off a ramp more than two metres above the water and splashing onto the course as one.
Athletes then need to negotiate upstream and downstream buoys and complete a mandatory kayak roll.
With contact allowed, it is hard to keep your eyes off the action as the four paddlers battle it out for glory.
“We are looking forward to it,” Mr Estanguet said.
“Obviously, we don’t know how exactly it will be received in the Olympic family but there is good potential.
“Hopefully it will be successful.
“We worked a lot to try to make sure that people will find this new format very fun, and it should be fantastic.”
Mr Prono said: “It has taken a huge team effort from the committee over the years to make kayak cross a viable competition.
“It was a step-by-step process, slowly implementing the event across our calendar with the likes of Pau and Ivrea being super-supportive organisers from the very start.
“Kayak cross has continued to evolve and I’m really excited to see athletes compete in the event at the Olympic Games.”
Kayak cross started on Friday and will run until August 5 when the medals will be decided.
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