Canoeists from Hungary have been winning Olympic medals for years and will be starting their quest to win more this Saturday.

Hungarians sent an impressive 16-member team, including Olympic sprinter Tamara Csipes twice and gold medalist Balint Kopasz from Tokyo.

Balint Szakacs is the managing director of this federation and told an interviewer ahead of the Paris Games that "canoeing has a rich history in Hungary - it is over 80 years old, with around 200 clubs."

He added that "canoeing is the country's most successful Olympic sport over the past 25 years."

The Olympic victories of Hungary in this sport have helped the federation attract more athletes into the water.

Szakacs said that children are naturally interested in becoming Olympic champions. They see football as an example of a sport that hasn't had much success.

The Hungarian Federation spends money on marketing the sport. We do not just focus on high-performance sports, but also on leisure sport. We also try to reach out to new audiences.

Canoeing is the second most successful sport in Hungary, behind fencing. The federation hopes to achieve more podium finishes at the Paris Olympics.

Szakacs stated that "people and the media want us to give exact numbers and it is difficult to know the exact expectations."

We usually say we are happy to receive four medals, but we don't want to reveal the color of the medal.

Szakacs is most interested in seeing more Hungarians get into paddling.

He said: "We want the public to know about our rivers and water and to tell them it is good to just sit in a vessel and enjoy the natural beauty that Hungary has to offer."

"That's also our goal, to try and convince more people to get on a boat to explore the country." (Reporting and editing by Ken Ferris; Philip O'Connor)