How to grow the sport of Canoe Slalom.

Formula 1 has seen a massive spike in viewership and interest in recent years. Why? One of the biggest contributors was the Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive’. People that would had never previously been interested in the sport became super fans effectively overnight. Viewers love a dramatic storyline especially when combined with competition and rivalry. By harnessing the power of storytelling, Canoe Slalom has the potential to emerging into the wider sporting spotlight. We can model and replicate the success of Formula 1 for Canoe Slalom using a similar growth strategy that Liberty Media implemented to catapult the sport into the public eye and here’s how…

In 2016 Liberty Media took over Formula 1 for 4.4 Billion dollars. Prior to the takeover, Formula 1 was very much an ‘old mans sport’. The former CEO of Formula 1, Bernie Ecclestone, held the position for almost 50 years and embraced a conservative stance on the sports values to appeal to older, wealthier target audience. F1 was not developed on social media platforms and was certainly not growing amongst a younger crowd. Before liberty’s takeover, no highlights from qualifying were shown, drivers were not allowed social media profiles and there was no budget cap for teams to spend meaning the sport was unbalanced and growth was stunted.

Perhaps the biggest factor that placed F1 into the mainstream eye was Netflix. In 2021, the number of viewers aged 16-35 increased by 77% , a total of 43% of F1’s key audience. F1 fans are estimated to be around 40% female in 2024, up from just 8% in 2017. Liberty Media were able to tap into a new demographic of young excited fans.

In Canoe Slalom we face a similar issue that F1 had in 2016. We have no ‘external’ fans of the sport. Everybody that is engaged in Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross (KX) has a personal connection to one of the athletes either as a family or friend. To grow the sport in viewership we need to attract a new audience.

We can use the blueprint and tactics that Liberty Media implemented into Formula 1 and replicate it for Canoe Slalom and KX. Whilst we are not at the level to have a Netflix Docu-series, we can certainly raise interest in our sport to get more people out on the water and increase the number of external fans. This is where the real investments and opportunity lies.

THE BLUEPRINT. – Please note that it is only an observation and collection of ideas.

1. Attention. For Slalom to grow, people need to know about it. This network and the instagram accounts of @paddleslalom @kayakcross are a strong starting place. As the Olympics approach there has been no better opportunity for growth. However, People cannot get into the sport if they cannot access information. The Instagram and X Platforms serve as the ‘shop window’ to grow the sport’s appeal to a wider audience and canoeslalomkx.com is the ‘shop’ to help get people out on the water with ease. This network combined with the social media is designed to synthesise information and video by having everything in a place that allows for people to connect and promote the sport. Of course people can contact via governing bodies or their countries Canoe Slalom website but there is nowhere to currently:

• Find information that is condensed and easily accessible.
• Connect directly to athletes within the sport.
• Importantly there is no place to even attract vast amounts of people to the sport. To the outsider, our sport is not attractive. If we can ignite a strong community, market the sport better and broadcast widely then initial growth can be achieved.

2. Captivate Narratives and Stories. Part of the reason Drive to Survive became so popular was due to the storylines and insights into the hidden lives of the drivers beyond the grid. Canoe slalom has its own natural rivalries waiting to be explored. Athlete hardship throughout the season and captivating rivalries happen within the sport but remain untold. By highlighting these narratives through season documentaries, pre-race interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and expert commentary Canoe Slalom can become more than just a live stream of racing.

3. Elevate Production Value. Canoe Slalom and particularly Kayak Cross are extreme sports. They are fast, technical and dangerous. Yet this aspect is not captured with full potential. One of the fundamental undertaking that liberty media overcame was the production quality of Formula 1 media. Liberty installed dozens of new camera angles in races, created incredible social media content and made viewership more exciting. The installation of additional cameras such small GoPros on a paddlers helmet to offer a new perspective, the creation of behind the scenes content and free streaming could support the growth of slalom.

4. Optimise Kayak Cross. The new discipline of Kayak Cross could easily be the gateway to mainstream sport. KX was created to be a more spectator friendly alternative to the technical Canoe Sport yet is currently a side event to main slalom races. We could tap into growth by focusing on the spectator. Kayak Cross could be held on the Saturday after the slalom race, at night and with a party atmosphere. You want to encourage viewership yet offering an extreme sporting event on a early Sunday morning at the end of a long weekend is perhaps a missed opportunity.

5. Sponsorship. There are no strong sponsorships associated with Canoe Slalom and KX. With the low number of Spectators it is perhaps unsurprising why no big name companies would want to invest. It may be unthinkable right now but why couldn’t Canoe Slalom secure a highly known and prestigious partnership provided points 1-4 are achieved. The growth of the sport is not necessarily in the increasing participation. Golf, Tennis, Horse riding and Formula 1 are arguable levels above Canoe Slalom in terms of their financial barriers to entry yet much more popular as spectator sports and thus grow in participation as a byproduct. The focus must be placed on the spectator to allow any significant growth to occur.

Picture this. It is warm Saturday evening, you have just finished a day of racing slalom drenched in the afterglow of victory (or valiant wipeout) and the sun is starting to set. You can hear a thumping bass of a house music, see the strobe lights paint the water with bursts of colour and smell the scent of a nearby bbq food truck. There is a large crowd of spectators gathered in the thousands watching down on the course ready for the anticipated Kayak Cross final. READYYYY GO. Off the ramp they go, the crowd erupt as the paddlers battle at the first up streaming, fighting for the overtake. The crowd get louder and louder as the paddlers get close to the finish. As they cross the line, fireworks light up the night sky. To mark the end of the racing weekend you go back to Energy drink sponsored tent to celebrate into the early hours of the morning.

KX has the potential to be spectator oriented as a fun event rather than a Sunday morning tag on to the slalom race. Kayak Cross could be the perfect gateway to attract external fans of the sport which may then take an interest in Slalom. As the Olympic KX debut approaches, the timing is ripe. It is an opportunity for growth we may not have until the next cycle of 2028.

Ultimately, there is a vision for the future of Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross. We all share the love for our sport yet the average person knows nothing about it. We know how exciting the sport is to watch and even more how it is to paddle yet it remains undiscovered by most people. Perhaps my views are naive. It is easy to state all the ways to improve something, it is much more difficult to actually execute. One thing is clear; there is big opportunity. The massive growth of Formula 1 is a proven case that incredible growth is possible and it can be replicated if action is taken.

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