The canoe may be the earliest form
 of the boat.  The kayak is similar to
 the canoe except that its deck is
 enclosed apart from a round hole
 where the paddler sits.  The basic
 designs of canoes have changed
 little since the 16th century, when
 Native Americans made them by
 hand.  

Sporting interest in canoeing and
 kayaking began in the mid-19th
 century, when a London
 Scotsman took journeys on the
 lakes and rivers of Europe in a
 kayak-inspired boat and then
 wrote and lectured about it.  By
 the latter part of the 19th century,
 regattas were being held all over
 Western Europe.  

The first men's canoeing events at
 the Olympics were held in 1936;
 women's were added in 1948. 
 Events are run on two kinds of
 courses -- flatwater, and more
 recently, exciting whitewater
 slalom courses.  The Eastern
 Europeans and Soviets have been
 strong in canoeing events, but
 Americans, Canadians and
 Western Europeans have also had
 success.