Canoeing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was contested in two main disciplines: canoe slalom, from 7 to 11 August,[1] and canoe sprint, from 15 to 20 August.

[2] The slalom competition was held at the Olympic Whitewater Stadium; whereas the sprint events were staged at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Copacabana.

The location for canoeing events was a source of concern for athletes since the Brazilian federal government's Oswaldo Cruz Foundation lab has found the genes of drug-resistant super bacteria in Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon.

A new qualification system had been created for both slalom and sprint canoeing at the 2016 Olympic Games.

The quotas were set for each event by the International Canoe Federation in August 2014.