At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, nine events in sprint canoe racing were contested. The program was unchanged from the previous two Games in 1948 and 1952. The competition was held on Lake Wendouree in Ballarat.
| C-1 1000 metres | ||||
| C-1 10000 metres | ||||
| C-2 1000 metres | ||||
| C-2 10000 metres | ||||
| K-1 1000 metres | ||||
| K-1 10000 metres | ||||
| K-2 1000 metres | ||||
| K-2 10000 metres |
| K-1 500 metres |