Although strong newcomers have made progress in canoe/kayak events, the European powerhouses are expected to dominate the disciplines at the Beijing Olympics, with 16 gold medals up for grabs in the flatwater and slalom events.

Flatwater racing became an Olympic sport in 1936 while slalom racing made its debut in the Olympic Games in 1972.

The European countries have dominated both events since, with more than 90 percent of all Olympic medals being bagged by European athletes.

Canoeing was Germany's most successful discipline in Athens where the team reaped four golds and nine medals in total. Hungary is another European country which harvested in Athens, returning home with three gold medals. Of the 16 golds in Athens' canoe/kayak events, Europeans netted 14.

Apart from Germany and Hungary, France and Slovakia are also expected to make some splashes. French athletes won the K1 (for men) and C1 slalom races while the two golds in C2 and K1 (for women) were snatched by Slovak contenders.

Slovak brothers Peter and Pavel Hochschorner have set their eyes on a third successive Olympic title since they won the C2 canoe title at the European slalom championships in May. Another pair of Slovakian brothers Peter and Ladislav Skantar are ambitious too.

At the 2007 Good Luck Beijing canoe/kayak flatwater China Open in Beijing, European paddlers swept all the 12 gold medals on offer.

In the World Cup and World Championships regattas running up to the Beijing Olympics, Europeans still called the shots.

But there are some newcomers appearing in the horizon.

China, as the host country, will send a strong canoe/kayak team to the Olympics, hoping to fuel China's medal drive. China wants to improve the result of one gold medal in C2 flatwater 500m won by Meng Guanliang and Yang Wenjun, a breakthrough in China's canoe/kayak history.

South Africa will send a surprisingly large canoeing team to the Beijing Olympics, their fifth Games since their return from sporting isolation. They have pinned hopes on Shaun Rubenstein, a former world champion.

Canadian paddlers are also busy preparing for the Games. Though it only got one gold medal in K1 flatwater 500m for men in Athens, the team also has what it takes to make the podium for more than once.

With the Olympics around the corner, top Europeans are gearing up. French kayaker Emilie Fer and French double Olympic champion Tony Estanguet have been training hard at Bizanos nautical site in southwestern France since May.

(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2008)