Being the host nation, Brazil was allocated a place each in the men's K-1 1000 m, and the women's K-1 500 m, but the team earnt a healthy number of quota places. Hence, two more boats were added to the team roster through the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, and another set of two through the 2016 Pan American Sprint Kvalifisert. The sprint canoeing team was named to the Olympic roster on June 28, 2016. On July 18, the men's K-4 1000 m was added, after the exclusion of boats of Romania and Belarus.