When Kayak Cross will take place at Paris 2024

Four days of kayak cross action is in store as the event makes its first appearance on the Olympic stage in Paris. 

Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium will be setting for this historic moment as races take place from August 2 to 5. 

The event will wrap up the Canoe Slalom programme in Paris as paddlers look to etch their names in Olympic canoeing history.  

Kayak cross schedule (local time)

August 2 

15:30 Women's Kayak Cross Time Trial 
16:40 Men's Kayak Cross Time Trial 

August 3 

15:30 Women's Kayak Cross Round 1
16:40 Men's Kayak Cross Round 1
18:05 Women's Kayak Cross Repechage
18:45 Men's Kayak Cross Repechage

August 4  

15:30 Men's Kayak Cross Heats 
16:45 Women's Kayak Cross Heats

August 5 

15:30 Women's Kayak Cross Quarterfinal 
15:52 Men's Kayak Cross Quarterfinal
16:15 Women's Kayak Cross Semifinal 
16:28 Men's Kayak Cross Semifinal
16:43 Women's Kayak Cross Small Final
16:48 Men's Kayak Cross Small Final 
16:55 Women's Kayak Cross Final 
17:00 Men's Kayak Cross Final 

Click here to find out what kayak cross is 

How will the kayak cross competition work in Paris?

Qualification phase

  • On August 2, each athlete will make a timed run down the course and then be ranked based on their time plus any penalties incurred.  
  • Everyone will go through to Round One with the time trials used to seed athletes in the brackets. 
  • Round One will take place on August 3. Pitting four paddlers against each other, the top two in each race will advance to the heats.  
  • Those that did not get through will have another chance in the repechage where the top two will also progress to the next phase. 
  • Athletes who finish a run without a fault are ranked above those who receive them, with 
  • athletes with one fault ranked higher than those with two. 
  • If two athletes have the same number of faults, the one who got further down the course before incurring their first fault is ranked higher. If they are still tied, they are ranked according to their: time during the time trial finish order during the race (for round 1 and repechage), and if still tied their time trial rank
  • Athletes can choose their starting position in round one and the repechage, with the best-placed paddler in the time trial choosing first etc.

Elimination phase

  • The first two finishers in each heat, staged on August 4, progress to the quarter-finals. 
  • The format continues as the intensity ramps up on August 5, with the first two in each quarter-final moving through to the semi-finals. 
  • The last two in each semi-final reach the small final, while the first two in each semi-final make the final where the medals will be decided.