C2 decision

[Neil H]

Anyone know where I can read about the decision to exclude C2 form Tokyo? Hearing about it but the web seems devoid of anything so far as I can see.

[BaldockBabe]

Hi Neil,

From my understanding the ICF have not publically stated that they are going to exclude C2 from Tokyo. What they have publically stated is that they will include C1W in Tokyo.

The IOC has stated previously that they will not grant more medals or athlete places to sports so if they want another medal they will have to get it from elsewhere. Thus, the inference that C2's medal will be sacrificed for C1W.

I re-quote from the post that I made on the "Save C2" Facebook page...

"The issue at the moment (as far as I am aware) is that the IOC:

1. will not allow canoeing (sprint/ slalom) any new medals;
2. will not allow canoeing (sprint/ slalom) more competitors; and
3. requires all sports to be more equal (men/ women).

Thus the ICF have to either

a) work within those constraints which means i) keeping the medal allocation as it is within slalom/ sprint and hence ditching C2 or ii) reallocating medals between slalom/ sprint so that sprint have fewer but slalom can have C2 and C1W) or

b) fight for another medal/ more competitors from another sport."

Hope that clarifies things!!!

[Neil H]

This is interesting. It seems despite being only an inference it is having an impact at athlete level though. It'd be interesting to hear other views

Thanks for the clarity

Happy Christmas etc.

[Mummsie]

I understand that the recent ICF congress when the decision to include C1W was made the decision to drop C2 was also made but this bit has not been publicly announced....

[boatmum]

Hopefully there will be suitable lobbying from the various canoeing associations to retain C2 as well as opening the sport up to C1W

Whilst the IOC has a line that there can be no more places or medals - this is patently not the case given the fact other "new" sports appear at the Olympics from time to time. Including C1W is including an "additional" "new" event/race.

If the ICF have "rolled over" with regard to the C2 issue - which frankly is a total disgrace from an international sporting body - then country associations should be looking to lobby the ICF and the IOC

Surely the sport needs promotion at Olympic level as well as at European and World - or will that be the next step - take the C2 out of the World and European competition (rhetorical - not asking for reply)

[BaldockBabe]

Whilst the IOC has a line that there can be no more places or medals - this is patently not the case given the fact other "new" sports appear at the Olympics from time to time. Including C1W is including an "additional" "new" event/race.

They only allow the introduction of new sports if old ones are removed. Baseball and Softball were removed from the sport list for 2012. This has made way for golf (!!!) and Rugby Union for 2016. Wrestling was dropped from 2020 and has now been reinstated as the "new" sport!

[boatmum]

I wonder if the IOC and the ICF could successfully defend a call that what they are proposing is gender discrimination? That is, allowing the introduction of a new event (quite right!) which is gender specific while dropping an event that is - while, and I am guessing here a bit, is also gender specific (are there any female C2 boats competing at international level??)

I am pretty sure that with other sports - where women were not originally "allowed" to compete at Olympic level but were then subsequently "allowed" - eg boxing (2012) and weight lifting (2000) spring immediately to mind - that male classes were not removed to accommodate the female classes?

I am pretty sure that a case could be successfully made if there was the will and the support of the various associations

[BaldockBabe]

(Note: I concur with keeping C2 and introducing C1)

However, cycling went through the same thing before 2012 and had to drop a mens class to even up the medal tally.

In boxing 3 womens medals were introduced and 2 mens were removed.

[boatmum]

I am not totally sure - but I thought cycling had a net gain of one event ?

As you point out boxing also had a net gain too - 3 womens events gained, 2 mens events lost

So adding an additional event in canoe slalom is just that - a net gain of one event.

I am sure (hope) that there are influential folk out there lobbying on behalf of the slalom C2 boats. The BCU Board has a couple of ICF Board members sitting on it so hopefully they are being asked to lobby on behalf of slalom.

Albert Woods is Vice Chair of the BOA so hopefully some help there too.

[Mrs C P Paddler]

There are over 300 places in Canoeing ie sprint and slalom. If Sprint were to give up the places they don't use we would be able to have C2 and C1W. At least that's my understanding of how it could work.

[BaldockBabe]

They have to be willing to give up a medal too...

[boatmum]

As a point of principle I don't think any sport should be asked to forego an event - the IOC and ICF need to be lobbied not to remove any existing ones:)

Sprint is a bit muddied any way as they changed a lot of the classes for 2012:

Removed: Men C1 500m, Men C2 500m, Men K1 500m and Men K2 500m)

Added: Men C1 200m, Men K1 200M Men K2 200m and Women K1 200m)

There are currently 12 Sprint events in the current program (4 female and 8 male races - all classes were contested in 2012 I think -