A Systematic Review of Research on Outrigger Canoe Paddling and Racing

From an international perspective, Polynesian outrigger canoe racing is a relatively new sport compared with other paddle sports that have become Olympic events, such as canoeing and kayaking. Performance is more highly tuned in highly competitive Olympic sports, which receive more attention from sports science researchers [1-3]. A Google Scholar search, minus citations and patents, indicated relative research activity in various paddling sports: “kayak” OR “kayaking” 6250 hits; “dragon boat” 4730 hits; “outrigger canoe” OR “outrigger canoeing” OR “outrigger paddle” OR “outrigger paddlers” OR “outrigger paddling” 1920 hits. “Canoeing” is an indiscriminate term and resulted in 34,000 hits. Major areas of research have included health and wellbeing, paddler physiology, biomechanical characteristics of elite paddlers, and technical studies on paddles and canoe performance.