# Canoeing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Qualification

This article details the Canoeing at the 2012 Summer Olympics qualifying phase. A new qualification system has been set up for both slalom and sprint canoeing at these games. The quotas were set for each event by the International Canoe Federation in July 2010.

## Qualification summary

| NOC | Slalom | Slalom | Slalom | Slalom | Sprint | Sprint | Sprint | Sprint | Sprint | Sprint | Sprint | Sprint | Sprint | Sprint | Sprint | Sprint | Total | Total |
| NOC | K1 M | C1 M | C2 M | K1 W | Men | Men | Men | Men | Men | Men | Men | Men | Women | Women | Women | Women | Boats | Athletes |
| NOC | K1 M | C1 M | C2 M | K1 W | K1 200 | K1 1000 | K2 200 | K2 1000 | K4 1000 | C1 200 | C1 1000 | C2 1000 | K1 200 | K1 500 | K2 500 | K4 500 | Boats | Athletes |
| Angola | | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | | 1 | 2 |
| Argentina | | | | | X | | X | | | | | | | | | | 2 | 2 |
| Australia | X | X | X | X | X | | X | | X | X | | X | X | X | | X | 12 | 21 |
| Austria | X | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | X | | 3 | 4 |
| Azerbaijan | | | | | | | | | | X | | X | | | | | 2 | 3 |
| Belarus | | | | | | X | X | | | X | X | X | | | | X | 6 | 11 |
| Belgium | X | | | | X | | | X | | | | | | | | | 3 | 4 |
| Brazil | | | | X | | | | | | | | X | | | | | 2 | 3 |
| Bulgaria | | | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Canada | X | | | | X | X | | X | | X | X | | X | X | | | 8 | 8 |
| China | X | X | X | X | X | | | | X | | X | X | | X | X | X | 11 | 19 |
| Cook Islands | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Croatia | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Cuba | | | | | | X | | | | | | X | X | | X | | 4 | 6 |
| Czech Republic | X | X | X | X | | | | | X | | | X | | | | | 6 | 11 |
| Denmark | | | | | X | | | | X | | | | | X | | | 3 | 6 |
| Ecuador | | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Finland | | | | | | | | | | | | | X | X | | | 2 | 2 |
| France | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | | | | X | | | | | X | 9 | 14 |
| Germany | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | | X | X | X | X | X | X | 15 | 21 |
| Great Britain | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | | | | X | | X | X | | X | 11 | 14 |
| Greece | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Hungary | | | | | X | | | X | X | | X | | X | X | X | X | 8 | 14 |
| Iran | | | | | | X | | | | | | | X | | | | 2 | 2 |
| Ireland | X | | | X | | | | | | X | | | | | | | 3 | 3 |
| Italy | X | X | X | X | | X | | | | | | | X | X | | | 7 | 8 |
| Japan | X | X | | X | | | X | | | | | | X | X | X | | 7 | 7 |
| Kazakhstan | | X | | | | | | X | | X | | | | X | | | 4 | 5 |
| Latvia | | | | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 2 |
| Lithuania | | | | | X | | | | | X | | | | | | | 2 | 2 |
| Mexico | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Morocco | | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| New Zealand | X | | | X | | X | | X | | | | | X | X | X | | 7 | 9 |
| Nigeria | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Norway | | | | | | X | | | | | | | | X | | | 2 | 2 |
| Poland | X | X | X | X | X | | | | | X | | X | X | | X | | 9 | 12 |
| Portugal | | | | | | X | | X | | | | | X | X | X | X | 6 | 6 |
| Romania | | | | | | | X | | X | | X | X | | | X | | 5 | 11 |
| Russia | | | X | X | X | | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 13 | 19 |
| Serbia | | | | | X | X | | | X | | | | X | | X | X | 6 | 12 |
| Singapore | | | | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | 1 | 1 |
| Slovakia | | X | X | X | | | | X | X | X | | | | | X | | 7 | 12 |
| Slovenia | X | X | X | X | | | | | | | | | X | | | | 5 | 6 |
| South Africa | | X | | | X | | | | | | X | | X | X | | | 5 | 5 |
| Spain | X | X | | X | | | | | | X | X | | X | | | | 6 | 6 |
| Sweden | | | | | | X | | X | | | | | X | | X | | 4 | 6 |
| Switzerland | X | | | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | 2 |
| Thailand | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Togo | X | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Tunisia | | | | | | X | | | | X | | | | X | | | 3 | 3 |
| Ukraine | | | | | | | | | | X | | | X | X | | | 3 | 3 |
| United States | X | X | X | X | X | | | | | | | | | X | | | 6 | 7 |
| Uzbekistan | | | | | | | | | | | X | | | X | X | | 3 | 3 |
| Total: 53 NOCs | 22 | 16 | 12 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 234 | 325 |

## Slalom

For the slalom events, the men competed in C-1, C-2, and K-1. Women competed in K-1 only. Qualifications were allocated to NOCs, not to specific competitors.

### Qualification timeline

| Event | Date | Venue |
| 2011 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships | September 7–11, 2011 | Bratislava, Slovakia |
| 2011 Asian Canoe Slalom Championships | December 16–18, 2011 | Miyi, China |
| 2012 African Canoeing Championships | February 3–4, 2012 | Bethlehem, South Africa |
| 2012 Oceania Canoeing Championships | February 24–26, 2012 | Penrith, Australia |
| 2012 Canoe Slalom Pan American Championships | March 10–11, 2012 | Foz do Iguassu, Brazil |
| 2012 Canoe Slalom European Championships | May 9–13, 2012 | Augsburg, Germany |

### Qualification table

| Event | K1 Men | C1 Men | C2 Men | K1 Women |
| World Championships | France Slovenia Germany Czech Republic Italy Poland Belgium Spain Switzerland United States New Zealand Austria Japan Great Britain China | Czech Republic Germany Slovakia Spain France Japan China Poland Great Britain Slovenia Russia | France Slovakia Russia Slovenia Great Britain Poland Czech Republic Germany | Spain Austria Czech Republic Slovakia Great Britain Poland Russia Slovenia Germany France Australia Italy China New Zealand United States |
| Asian Championships | Thailand | Kazakhstan | China | Japan |
| African Championships | Nigeria | South Africa | — | Morocco |
| Oceania Championships | Australia | Australia | Australia | Cook Islands |
| American Championships | Canada | United States | United States | Brazil |
| European Championships | Ireland Croatia | Greece Italy | Italy | Ireland Switzerland |
| Tripartite Invite | Togo | Argentina | — | — |
| Additional | — | — | Great Britain Czech Republic | — |
| Total | 22 | 17 | 14 | 21 |

## Sprint
### Qualification timeline

| Event | Date | Venue |
| 2011 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships | August 17–21, 2011 | Szeged, Hungary |
| 2011 All-Africa Games | September 9–10, 2011 | Maputo, Mozambique |
| 2011 Asian Canoe Sprint Championships | October 13–16, 2011 | Tehran, Iran |
| 2011 Pan American Games | October 26–29, 2011 | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| 2012 Oceania Canoeing championships | February 24–26, 2012 | Penrith, Australia |
| European Qualifier | May 16–17, 2012 | Poznań, Poland |

### Qualification table

NOCs are limited to one boat per event, and in kayaking to 8 men and 6 women positions. Qualification enables an NOC to participate, not necessarily in the person of the paddler who gained the qualification. Quotas given are for boats.
| Event | 2011 World Championships | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Total |
| Men Kayak | 2011 World Championships | Europe | Americas | Asia | Africa | Oceania | Total |
| K1 200m | Poland Great Britain Germany France Russia Canada Ecuador Hungary Denmark | Belgium Lithuania | United States | China Japan | South Africa Egypt Tunisia | Australia Cook Islands | 14 +2 |
| K1 1000m | Canada Sweden Norway Germany Belarus Serbia Bulgaria Great Britain New Zealand | France Italy | Cuba | Iran China | Tunisia Egypt | Cook Islands Australia | 14 +1 |
| K2 200m | France Great Britain Belarus Romania Germany Latvia | Russia | Argentina Canada | Japan Kazakhstan | — | Australia | 10 |
| K2 1000m | Slovakia Sweden Russia Belgium Germany Hungary | Portugal | Canada | Kazakhstan | — | New Zealand Australia | 10 |
| K4 1000m | Germany Australia Russia Slovakia Romania Czech Republic Hungary Serbia Denmark China | — | — | — | — | — | 10 |
| Event | 2011 World Championships | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Total |
| Men Canoe | 2011 World Championships | Europe | Americas | Asia | Africa | Oceania | Total |
| C1 200m | Azerbaijan Russia Spain Ukraine Lithuania Belarus Poland | Slovakia Ireland | Canada Brazil Mexico | Japan China Kazakhstan | Tunisia Angola Senegal | Australia Samoa | 13 |
| C1 1000m | Hungary Spain Uzbekistan Belarus Canada Russia France^ Great Britain | Germany Romania | Mexico | Kazakhstan | South Africa Senegal Angola | Samoa Australia | 13 |
| C2 1000m | Germany Azerbaijan Romania Czech Republic Russia Belarus Cuba | Poland | Brazil | China | Angola | Australia | 12 |
| Event | 2011 World Championships | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Continental qualification | Total |
| Women | 2011 World Championships | Europe | Americas | Asia | Africa | Oceania | Total |
| K1 200m | New Zealand Poland Japan Portugal Great Britain Russia Hungary Spain Germany Finland Slovenia Sweden | Ukraine Italy | Cuba United States | Iran China Singapore Uzbekistan | South Africa Tunisia | Australia | 14 +4 |
| K1 500m | Germany Hungary Ukraine Kazakhstan Australia Portugal Italy Denmark Finland South Africa Great Britain | Russia Norway | United States Cuba | Singapore Uzbekistan China Iran | Tunisia | New Zealand | 14 +5 |
| K2 500m | Austria Germany Poland Hungary China Romania Russia Slovakia New Zealand Portugal^ Serbia^ | Sweden | Cuba | Japan | — | Australia | 10 +5 |
| K4 500m | Hungary Germany Belarus Great Britain Australia Russia Portugal France Serbia China | — | — | — | — | — | 10 |
^* Host quota
* Italic: National federation has qualified a boat but the athlete that did this was already counted in another boat
* ^: ICF decided that two of the events in Oceania needed to be reattributed to the World Championships lists because the events seen as invalid due to lack of eligible competitors.