A total of 50 athletes from seven countries competed in the three-day event, held at the Deodoro Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro’s Western Zone.

The International Canoe Federation (ICF) ran the Championships with the help of the Pan American Canoe Federation (COPAC) and the Brazilian Canoe Confederation (CBCA).

It is hoped the event, and subsequent use of the sports facility by the local community, will help grow the popularity and participation of canoe slalom in Brazil and across South America.

"Our partnership with the Sport Ministry and Rio’s Town Hall will transform this place and provide us a chance to develop local talent from Brazil," said CBCA President João Tomasini Schwertner.

"We also plan to make the Rio Channel a well-structured alternative training camp for teams around the world to enjoy."

The Championship included the men’s K1, C1 and C2 and women’s C1 categories, and other junior and senior classes.

Hosts Brazil won gold in the men’s and women’s K1, with Pedro Henrique Gonçalves and Ana Sátila winning their respective events.

Gonçalves, who won a silver medal at last year’s Pan American Games in Toronto, and who finished in an unprecedented sixth place in the final of the men’s K1 slalom during Rio 2016 - Brazil’s highest-ever position - said the artificial slalom course was "the best in the world".

"I want to take the Brazilian canoeing to the top of the world and inspire young athletes coming through," he said.

"I'm sure we have hidden talents in the communities near the X-Park.

"With a place like this, a moment of leisure can be the first step towards a sports career."

There was further success for the home nation in the men's C1, with Brazilian duo Charles Correa and Felipe Borges winning silver and bronze respectively.

In the women's C1, Sátila returned to the water and added another gold while compatriots Correa and Anderson Oliveira also won gold, and Maicon Borba and Carlos Moraes silver, in the C2.

The Brazilian team won 11 gold medals in total.

The course in Deodoro is close to Rio's largest youth population with the city's administration quoting a figure of 1.5 million inhabitants under the age of 18 living within 10 districts surrounding the venue.

A canoe school is due to be developed there. 

"Placing our sport within touching distance of large populations is a clear strategy of the ICF," said José Perurena, President of the ICF and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"The venue in Rio provides another excellent Olympic legacy for our sport.

"We can see a clear correlation between investment in facilities and success on the international stage, an example of this is the success of the British team who have a permanent base at the London Olympic venue in Lee Valley and won two medals at this year's Games.

"Our sport continues to make the most of the opportunities of being part of the Olympic Movement."

The canoe slalom venue was re-opened to the public as a swimming pool last month, just weeks after the Games ended on August 21.

It is due to host the 2018 ICF Canoe Slalom Senior World Championships and then the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom Junior and Under-23 World Championships.