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WorldNet Service Installation Disk - Cybercathlon Games and Interactive Tour of Olympic Museum (1996).ISO
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00814_Field_st17.txt.txt
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1996-06-03
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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.