The men's K-1 200 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 4 and 5 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway.

[5] Egypt earned Africa's place (after South Africa declined), South Korea took Asia's, ROC and Latvia earned Europe's two places, and Samoa took Oceania's.

Lithuania earned the final spot at the World Cup.

Sprint canoeing uses a four-round format for events with at least 11 boats, with heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals.

The details for each round depend on how many boats ultimately enter.