Olympic Engagement
The spirit of the Olympic Movement has been embedded in RIVERSPORT sports, programming and events since day one.
Today, we are a US Olympic & Paralympic Training Site for both rowing and canoe/kayak, we regularly host national and international competitions in these Olympic sports, and in March 2025, the Los Angeles City Council voted to approved LA28’s venue proposal making RIVERSPORT Rapids the Canoe Slalom venue for the 2028 Olympic Games [more].
We invite you to get involved as an athlete, a volunteer, a donor or sponsor – or simply as part of the community coming together to welcome the world to OKC in 2028!
If you’re an athlete ready to train in OKC, learn more about the OKC National High Performance Center and the training opportunities in both rowing and canoe sprint and slalom
Join Team RIVERSPORT!
Whether you want to volunteer for events, support our youth teams, or simply be “in the know,” join Team RIVERSPORT to get the latest updates!
We’re counting down to LA28!
About RIVERSPORT, Oklahoma City’s Whitewater Center
Oklahoma City’s RIVERSPORT Rapids is a $45.2 million whitewater center built as part of MAPS 3, a city tax initiative that has funded numerous projects throughout the metro. Opened in May 2016 in the City’s downtown Boathouse District, RIVERSPORT’s whitewater center includes an Olympic caliber racecourse which has hosted US Olympic Team Trials for Canoe Slalom (2016 and 2024) and Kayak Cross (2024) as well as numerous national and international competitions. RIVERSPORT also offers rafting, tubing and whitewater kayaking for the public and competitive teams in both canoe/kayak and rowing for youth and adults. RIVERSPORT has been an official US Olympic & Paralympic Training Site since 2009.
Canoe Slalom & Kayak Cross Spectator Guides
Canoe/Kayak Slalom
Canoe/Kayak Slalom requires athletes to race for time through both downstream and upstream gates with spectators lining the channel just feet from the action. The course is 305 meters (1,000 feet) long and drops 510 cm (16’ 9”) from start to finish. The flow is estimated to be level WW III-IV at 10 m³/s (350 ft3/s) during competition.
Kayak Cross
Kayak Cross is the newest paddlesport to be added to the Olympic Games amping up whitewater excitement to a whole new level. Kayakers launch side-by-side from a ramp above the water and drop into the churning water in a race to the finish!
