How to qualify in Para canoe
How para paddlers qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics
Para paddle at LA28 has 10 medal events, all 200 m sprints, and 100 places (50 men, 50 women):
| Men | Women |
|---|---|
| Kayak single KL1, KL2, KL3 | Kayak single KL1, KL2, KL3 |
| Va'a single VL2, VL3 | Va'a single VL2, VL3 |
A va'a is an outrigger canoe, paddled with a single-bladed paddle; a kayak uses a double-bladed paddle.
Places go to the country, and come almost entirely from the LA 2028 Paralympic Qualification Rankings at 31 May 2028, which count results from 1 May 2026. The top ten in each event win a place for their country, one per country per event. The United States, as host, can take up to two places for each gender out of those ten.
Every event must have paddlers from at least three regions (continents); if not, the lowest-ranked qualifier gives way to the best paddler from a missing region.
Places by route
| Route | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Host: up to one kayak and one va'a place for each gender | up to 2 | up to 2 |
| Paralympic Qualification Rankings at 31 May 2028: top ten in each event, less any host place | 48 | 48 |
| Total | 50 | 50 |
Rules on places
- One place per country per event, and at most five men's and five women's places.
- One place per athlete. A paddler in the qualifying places of both a kayak and a va'a ranking wins the va'a place for their country; the kayak place goes to the next paddler in that ranking.
- Three Continents Rule: if fewer than three regions are represented in an event, the lowest-ranked qualified country loses its place to the best-ranked country from an unrepresented region, repeated until three regions are there. The host counts as representing its region.
- To win a place, a paddler's sport class status must be Confirmed, or Review with a date after 31 December 2028, on 31 May 2028.
The host
The United States gets one men's and one women's place in kayak, and the same in va'a, each in the event where it has its highest-ranked paddler on 31 May 2028. These are taken out of that event's ten. Places it cannot use go to the ranking.
Entries
A country must enter a paddler in each event where it won a place, and can enter two per event. A paddler can enter two events, one kayak and one va'a, if eligible for both, so a country with one place in each boat type can double up.
Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 May 2026 | Ranking period opens |
| 5 May 2028 | Accreditation Long List due |
| 31 May 2028 | Ranking period closes |
| 7 June 2028 | PWW tells countries their places |
| 17 June 2028 | Countries confirm (and commit to enter a boat) |
| 3 July 2028 | Reallocation; countries declare use |
| 24 July 2028 | Sport entries close |
Unused places go to the next country on the ranking for that event. After 3 July 2028 they go back to the IPC.
What changed
The June 2026 edition of the IPC document called this sport "Para Canoe (Sprint)" and named the International Canoe Federation; since 31 July 2026 it is "Para Paddle" under Paddle Worldwide (PWW).