Slalom canoeing had been held at the 1972 Olympics, but was removed from the Olympic Program in 1976 and would not return until 1992. The Montreal Organizing Committee decided not to include the discipline because they '€œsaw no opportunity to build a course,'€ and after apperals from the FIC and the Organizing Committee, this was approved by the IOC Executive Board.

The flatwater canoe events for women in 1976 were the same, with kayak singles and doubles over 500 metres. But the men'€™s flatwater program was expanded from five to nine events, with singles and doubles now contested over both 500 and 1,000 metres, in addition to a kayak fours over 1,000 metres. This would remain the standard men'€™s Olympic flatwater canoeing program through 2008. These events were added after the slalom events were not included.

The 1976 canoeing (and rowing) events were held at the Bassin Olympique off l'€™ÃŽle Notre Dame, and artificial island in the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal. Île Notre Dame is an artificial island created in 1965 for Expo 67, which celebrated Canada'€™s centennial. In 1975 the Expo 67 pavilions were demolished to allow creation of the Olympic basin.

Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada consisted of 11 events, all in canoe sprint, held at the rowing basin on Notre Dame Island. The canoe slalom events introduced at the previous Games in Munich were not included in the Montreal program though four 500 m events for men were (C-1, C-2, K-1, and K-2).

The men'€™s K-1 500 was held for the first time at the Olympics in 1976 and, with 1973 and 1975 World Champion [Geza Csapo] of Hungary competing in the K-1 1000 instead, the path seemed open for Romania'€™s [Vasile Diba], the 1974 World Champion and 1975 runner-up, to take the inaugural Olympic title. Hungary, meanwhile, sent [Zoltán Sztanity], a 1960 Olympic champion in the K-1 4 x 500 metres relay. Another contender was Poland'€™s [Grzegorz Śledziewski], bronze medalist in the event at the last three World Championships. Śledziewski won his heat in the opening round, but the fastest time went to Diba by a margin of 0.13 seconds. Sztanity, meanwhile, came in second in a heat won by [Rudiger Helm] of East Germany. Sztanity was again second in the semi-finals, this time to Śledziewski, while Helm was runner-up to [Sergey Lizunov] of the Soviet Union, who posted the round'€™s fastest time by the slimmest of margins, 0.01 seconds, over Śledziewski. Diba won the third heat and, more importantly, the final, by emerging victorious by 0.54 seconds in a battle against Sztanity over the final stretch. Helm had his own challenges in claiming bronze, having to stave off Śledziewski and Spain'€™s [Herminio Menendez]: only 0.19 seconds separated these canoeists as they crossed the finish line. Helm'€™s medal was one of three that he won at the Games, as he was also champion in the K-1 1000 and a bronze medalist in the K-4 1000, while Diba also took bronze in the K-1 1000.

The men's K-1 500 metres event was an individual kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics program. This event made its debut at these games.

Hungary'€™s [Geza Csapo] had many canoeing accolades, among which were victories in the K-1 1000 at the World Championships in 1973 and 1974 and an Olympic bronze medal from 1972, all of which made him a favorite to win gold in the event at the 1976 Summer Games. The most recent World Championships, however, had ended in a tie between Italy'€™s [Oreste Perri] and Poland'€™s [Grzegorz Śledziewski], the latter of whom was also the 1971 champion and the 1973 and 1974 runner-up. The Soviet Union'€™s [Oleksandr Shaparenko], meanwhile, was the defending Olympic champion and 1968 runner-up, while East Germany'€™s [Rudiger Helm] was the most recent World bronze medalist. In the opening round, Perri, Helm, and Shaparenko won their heats, while Csapo and Śledziewski were runners-up to Perri and Shaparenko respectively. The tables turned in the semi-finals, when Helm and Shaparenko were second to Śledziewski and Csapo'€™s Olympic record-setting ties respectively, with Perri capturing the third heat. The final developed into a race to the finish between Csapo and Helm, the latter of whom edged out the former by 0.64 seconds, leaving the Hungarian with silver. Bronze was taken by [Vasile Diba] of Romania, 1974 and 1975 World Champion and runner-up respectively in the K-1 500, who also won the K-1 500 in Montreal. Helm, meanwhile, also earned bronze medals in the K-1 500 and K-4 1000 at these Games.

The men's K-1 1000 metres event was an individual kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics program.

The Soviet Union was the defending two-time Olympic champion in the K-2 1000 and sent [Vladimir Romanovsky] and [Serhiy Nahorniy] to the 1976 Summer Olympics, while reigning World Champion East Germany brought [Bernd Olbricht] and [Joachim Mattern]. Hungary, meanwhile, had been runner-up at the last two Olympics, victors at two of the last three World Championships, and a bronze medalist at the most recent edition. This nation was represented by [Zoltán Bako] and [István Szabo], the 1974 World Champions, in Montreal and set an Olympic record while defeating the Soviet Union in the opening round. The other heats were taken by East Germany and [Jean-Pierre Burny] and [Paul Hoekstra] of Belgium, the latter of whom had competed for the Netherlands through 1970, and had won a silver medal in the Olympic K-2 1000 in 1964, but began representing Belgium in 1971. Belgium bested Hungary'€™s Olympic record in the semi-finals, defeating the Soviet Union in the process, but Bulgaria'€™s [Lazar Khristov] and [Borislav Borisov] were only 0.02 seconds behind in winning their own heat against Hungary. East Germany captured its own heat, and then faced the Soviet Union in the final, battling the nation to the finish line, but failing to catch up and missing out on gold by 0.32 seconds. This meant that the results from the K-2 500 were flipped in this event, as the Soviet Union emerged as the victor and East Germany settled for silver. Hungary, meanwhile, earned bronze well ahead of the rest of the field, as Belgium and Bulgaria both struggled and finished seventh and ninth respectively.

The men's K-2 1000 metres event was a pairs kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics program.

Hungary, East Germany, and Spain had each won the K-4 1000 at one of the last three editions of the World Championships, while the Soviet Union was the reigning Olympic champion and brought one of its defending title-holders, [Yuriy Filatov], to the 1976 Summer Olympics. Spain defeated the Soviet Union in the first opening heat, setting an Olympic record in the process, but East Germany and Romania were only 0.29 and 0.42 seconds behind respectively in winning their own heats. Hungary, meanwhile, was fourth in East Germany'€™s heat and only advanced through the repêchage. It performed better in the semi-finals, coming in second in East Germany'€™s heat, with the Soviet Union besting Romania in its own heat and Spain taking a third. The final ended with an exciting battle between the Soviet Union and Spain, the former of whom came out with gold by a margin of 0.26 seconds. Spain would have to wait until 2004 to earn its first Olympic canoeing title, but the nation'€™s silver was its first Olympic canoeing medal. East Germany, meanwhile, took bronze 0.59 seconds ahead of Romania, giving [Rudiger Helm] his third medal of the Games: he won the K-1 1000 and was the bronze medalist in the K-1 500.

The men's K-4 1000 metres event was a fours kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics program.

The men'€™s C-1 500 was held for the first time at the Olympics in 1976 and, having won the event at the last two World Championships, the Soviet Union'€™s [Serhiy Petrenko] seemed well-positioned to take the inaugural title. Petrenko, however, elected to compete in the C-2 500 and 1000 instead, leaving [Aleksandr Rogov] to represent his nation. Similarly, the 1973 World Champion and 1975 runner-up, [Miklos Darvas] of Hungary, did not attend the Montreal Games and his nation sent [Károly Szegedi], runner-up in the C-1 10000 at the 1975 World Championships, in his place. This left Romania'€™s [Ivan Patzaichin] and Bulgaria'€™s [Borislav Ananiev], the 1973/1974 and 1975 bronze medalists respectively, as the only World Championship medalists competing in the event, which made the field in Montreal fairly open.

The opening heats were won by Yugoslavia'€™s [Matija Ljubek] and East Germany'€™s [Wilfried Stephan], the latter of whom was representing the 1974 World runner-up nation. Ljubek'€™s feat, meanwhile, was even more impressive because he defeated Szegedi, Ananiev, Rogov, Patzaichin, and eventual silver medalist [John Wood] of Canada. Rogov, at least, was able to get revenge in the semi-finals, as he won his heat and bested Ljubek in the process, while the other heats went to Stephan and Szegedi. With such a strong and close field, most spectators expected an exciting finale, and the canoeists did not disappoint. As they approached the finish line, Ananiev, Ljubek, Rogov, Stephan, and Wood were all contenders for the gold medal, until the East German began to fall slightly behind. This left four Olympians for three podium spots and they all crossed the line within 0.69 seconds of each other. The top three, Rogov, Wood, and Ljubek in that order, were even closer, separated by only 0.37 seconds. Although Ljubek'€™s bronze might have been disappointing in consideration of his earlier performance, he would go to win the C-1 1000 and earn Yugoslavia its first two Olympic canoeing medals. Ananiev, meanwhile, would continue his unlucky streak by once again finishing just off the podium in that event.

The men's C-1 500 metres event was an open-style, individual canoeing event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics program. This event debuted at these games.

[Ivan Patzaichin] of Romania was, among other titles, the 1972 Olympic and 1973 World Champion, the 1975 World runner-up, and the 1974 World bronze medalist in the C-1 1000, but he would have to contend with [Vasyl Yurchenko] of the Soviet Union, winner at the last two World Championships, at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Hungary'€™s [Tamás Wichmann], meanwhile, was the 1972 Olympic runner-up and the 1973 and 1975 World bronze medalist. Patzaichin posted the fastest time in the opening round, defeating Wichmann in the process, while Yurchenko captured the other heat. In the semi-finals, however, Patzaichin was bested by [Borislav Ananiev] of Bulgaria, while Yurchenko and Wichmann took the other heats. In the final, Yugoslavian [Matija Ljubek], who had won bronze in the C-1 500 the previous day, put forth an outstanding effort and captured the gold medal over three seconds ahead of Yurchenko, who settled for silver. Wichmann and Ananiev, meanwhile, raced for bronze, with the former crossing the finish line first, albeit by only 0.3 seconds. This was Ananiev'€™s second disappointment of the Games, as he had also come in fourth in the C-1 500. As for Patzaichin, he could not keep up to the front runners and placed fifth.

The men's C-1 1000 metres event was an open-style, individual canoeing event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics program.

The men'€™s C-2 500 was held for the first time at the Olympics in 1976 and the Soviet Union, who had won the event in the last three editions of the World Championships, was favored to take the inaugural crown. The nation sent [Serhiy Petrenko] and [Aleksandr Vinogradov] to the Games, the latter of whom had earned gold at the two most recent World Championships. The duo won their opening heat, but [Tamás Buday] and [Oszkár Frey], representing 1975 World bronze medalist Hungary, posted a faster time. The Hungarians, in turn, were defeated in the semi-finals by [Jerzy Opara] and [Andrzej Gronowicz] of Poland, the 1973 World bronze medalists. Romania'€™s [Gheorghe Danielov] and [Gheorghe Simionov], the 1971 World Champions and 1973 and 1974 runners-up, won a second heat while the Soviet Union took the third. In the final, however, the Soviet resumed their international dominance and won gold nearly two seconds ahead of Poland, who settled for silver. Hungary, meanwhile, had to battle Romania for bronze, which it earned by a margin of only 0.49 seconds. Both the Soviet and Romanian crews would repeat their performance in the C-2 1000, capturing gold and bronze respectively.

The men's C-2 500 metres event was an open-style, pairs canoeing event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics program. This event made its debut at these games.

The Soviet Union was the defending Olympic champion in the C-2 1000, but had experienced uneven success since, winning the World Championships in 1974, being runner-up in 1973, and coming in third in 1975. The nation was represented by [Serhiy Petrenko] and [Aleksandr Vinogradov] at the 1976 Summer Olympics and, especially after their victory in the C-2 500 the day prior to this event'€™s final, were considered gold medal contenders in this event. Romania had a history of success in this event as well, most recently with [Gheorghe Danielov] and [Gheorghe Simionov], who were normally specialists in the C-2 500, but had been runners-up at the most recent World Championships. The reigning World Champion was Hungary, who sent [Tamás Buday] and [Oszkár Frey], who took bronze in the C-2 500 the day before this final.

The Soviet Union set an Olympic record in the opening heats, defeating Romania and helping to relegate the Hungarian crew to the repêchage, where they not only advanced to the next round, but bettered the Soviets'€™ Olympic record. Poland'€™s [Jerzy Opara] and [Andrzej Gronowicz], runners-up in both the C-2 1000 at the 1974 World Championships and the C-2 500 at the Montreal Olympics, won the other heat. Romania posted the fastest time in the semi-finals, besting Hungary in the process, while the Soviet Union and Poland took the other two heats. The final was fairly well spread out, with the Soviet Union, Romania, Hungary, and Poland finishing in that order with room to breathe.

The men's C-2 1000 metres event was an open-style, pairs canoeing event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics program.

The Soviet Union had not lost an Olympic final in the women'€™s K-1 500 since 1952 and, although it had been runner-up at the last two World Championships, its entry of [Tatyana Korshunova], a 1974 World runner-up in the K-4 500, was considered the favorite at the 1976 Summer Games. East Germany, meanwhile, the 1974 and 1975 World Champion and 1973 runner-up, sent [Carola Zirzow], a double World Champion in the K-2 and K-4 500. The only other recent World Championship medalist was Romania, who earned bronze all three years and was represented in 1976 by its most recent podium finisher, [Maria Mihoreanu].

Korshunova posted the fastest time in the opening round, while Poland'€™s [Ewa Kamińska-Eichler] bested Zirzow and helped relegate Mihoreanu to the repêchage in the other heat. Zirzow was fastest in the semi-finals, perhaps due to the challenge presented by Mihoreanu, while Korshunova and Kamińska-Eichler took the other heats. In the final, Zirzow was the dominant canoeist and managed to take the title away from the Soviet Union for the first time in over two decades by a margin of over two seconds. Korshunova, in turn, had nearly two seconds separating her from those contesting for bronze: Mihoreanu, Kamińska-Eichler, and Hungary'€™s [Klára Rajnai], a 1975 World bronze medalist in the K-4 500. This trio battled to the line and seemed to cross at the same time, but a photo finish confirmed that Rajnai had won the bronze medal 0.15 seconds ahead of Kamińska-Eichler and 0.39 in front of Mihoreanu. Rajnai'€™s third-place finish was not her only one of the day either: she also took home silver in the K-2 500, while Zirzow went on to win bronze in the same event.

The women's K-1 500 metres event was an individual kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics program.

East Germany had won the women'€™s K-2 500 at the last three World Championships, twice with their entry to the 1976 Summer Olympics [Bärbel Köster] and [Carola Zirzow]. The defending Olympic Champion was the Soviet Union, who was also runner-up at the 1973 and 1975 World Championships and sent [Nina Gopova] and [Galina Kreft], both seasoned international veterans. These two nations won their heats in both the opening round and the semi-finals, with Hungary'€™s [Anna Pfeffer] and [Klára Rajnai] taking the third heat in the latter portion of the competition. Pfeffer had multiple international medals in canoeing, including Olympic silver from the 1968 K-2 500 tournament and a World title in the same event from 1971, while Rajnai won a surprise bronze medal in the K-1 500 the day prior to this event'€™s final. These three nations were ahead of the rest of the pack in the medal round and were nearly neck and neck as they approached the finish line. The Soviet Union pulled just enough ahead to take gold by 0.54 seconds, while Hungary'€™s margin of victory for the silver medal was much smaller, a mere 0.12 seconds, over East Germany. Although Zirzow failed to earn gold in this event, she had already become an Olympic champion earlier in the day in the K-1 500.

The women's K-2 500 metres event was a pairs kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1976 Summer Olympics program.