The much-anticipated Asian Games 2023 are slated, to begin with a thrilling opening ceremony on 23rd September at Hangzhou, China. Although a few of the sports already began on the 19th, the rest will proceed with an opening ceremony a day later.
The Asian Games, also termed Asiad, will feature over 40 various sports in the current season. Top-rated athletes from all over the continent will showcase their prowess across their sports, which also include canoeing as one of the disciplines.
The canoe is a summer sport which is played in water. It involves paddling a small and narrow watercraft called a kayak, or canoe. These boats are usually designed for an individual or a group of paddles, depending on the type of event.
This sport mainly has two divisions - slalom and sprint. Both of these are part of the Asian Games 2023.
There will be separate categories for men's and women's events in this sport in the Asian Games 2023. While men's athletes will feature in C-1 1000m, C-2 1000, C-2 200m, K-1 200m, K-2 1000m, and K-2 500m events, the women's players will showcase their powers in C-1 200m, C-2 500m, K-1 200m, K-1 500m, K-2 500m, and K-4 500m events.
In terms of C and K, they represent Canoe and Kayak respectively, whereas the digits show the number of paddlers. For instance, C-1 means, that in the Canoe, there will be an individual paddler, whereas, K-4, which is Kayak, will feature four paddlers in the event.
As far as the venue of this sport in the Asian Games 2023 is concerned, the Fuyang Water Sports Centre is set to embrace the pool of skilled and amateur athletes. This is located at the southern bank of Beizhi River, Fuyang District and will host multiple water sports of the prestigious tournament.
Moreover, there will be four slalom events taking place followed by 12 sprint events. From India, four athletes will be shining in slalom along with 13 to shine in sprint canoe.
Notably, slalom and sprint canoe/kayak depict different facets of the sport. Slalom stresses precise navigation through a challenging, meandering course with gates, where paddlers must confront swift currents and hurdles, aiming for the fastest time with few penalties.
On the other hand, sprint canoe/kayak flares on flatwater courses, concentrating on explosive bursts of speed over specified distances, requiring paddlers to power through straight-line races in lanes. While slalom tests technical finesse in turbulent waters, sprint portrays raw speed and persistence on steady surfaces.
Asian Games 2023: India's Canoeing Squad
Men's squad
Men’s C1 1000m - Sunil Singh Salam
Men’s slalom (kayak) - Hitesh Kewat
Men’s slalom (kayak) - Subham Kewat
Men’s slalom (canoe) - Vishal Kewat Sein
Men’s C2- 500m (team) - Ribason Singh Ningthoujam
Men’s C2- 500m (team) - Gyaneshwor Singh Philem
Men’s C2 1000m (team) - Arjun Singh
Men’s C2 1000m (team) - Niraj Verma
Women's squad
Women’s slalom (kayak) - Shikha Chouhan
Women’s C2 500m (team) - Shivani Verma
Women’s C2 500m (team) - Megha Pradeep
Women’s C2 200m (team) - Kaveri
Women’s C2 200m (team) - Neha Devi Leichondam
Women’s K4 500m (team) - Binita Chanu Oinam
Women’s K4 500m (team) - Parvathy Geeta
Women’s K4 500m (team) - Dimita Devi Touam
Women’s K4 500m (team) - Soniya Devi Phairembam
Asian Games 2023: India's Complete Canoeing Schedule
Canoe Sprint events
September 30
7:00 am IST onwards - Men's Kayak Single 1000m, Men's Canoe Single 1000m, Women's Kayak Double 500m, Men's Kayak Double 500m, Men's Canoe Double 500m (Heats & Semi-Finals)
October 1
7:00 IST onwards - Women's Canoe Singh 200m, Women's Kayak Single 500 & Men's Kayak Four 500m (Heats & Semi-Finals)
October 2
7:30 am IST onwards - Men's Kayak Single 1000m, Men's Canoe Single 1000m, Women's Canoe Double 500m, Women's Kayak Double 500m, Men's Kayak Double 500m, Men's Canoe Double 500m (Finals)
October 3
7:30 IST onwards - Women's Canoe Singh 200m, Women's Kayak Single 500, Men's Canoe Double 1000m, Men's Kayak Four 500m, Women's Kayak Four 500m, Men's Canoe Double 200m, (Finals)
Canoe Slalom
October 5
7:00 IST onwards - Men's Canoe, Women's Kayak, Women's Canoe, Men's Kayak (Heats)
October 6
6:30 IST onwards - Men's Canoe, Women's Kayak (Semi-Final & Final)
October 7
6:30 IST onwards - Women's Canoe, Men's Kayak (Semi-Final & Final)
Asian Games 2023 - Where to Watch?
Notably, fans in India can catch the action live on the dates mentioned above on the SonyLIV App. The tournament will also be broadcast on all SONY TV channels.