Olympic farce from Down Under as sports bosses are blasted after stars came last by almost a MINUTE after only learning the event three months before the Paris Games

The governing body for canoe racing in New Zealand is facing backlash after the men’s sprint team finished nearly a minute behind the victors in a shocking display at the Paris Olympics.

Max Brown and Grant Clancy trailed the pack by over 50 meters in their heats on Tuesday, crossing the finish line about 50 seconds after their competition, who were returning to the jetty as the Kiwis rounded out their race.

For context, the winning boat in their C2 500m heat posted a time of one minute and 38 seconds.

Brown and Clancy were representing New Zealand despite only taking up this discipline three months prior.

The unusual scenes drew comparisons to swimmer Eric ‘The Eel’ Moussambani, who became a beloved figure when he finished far behind the field in the 100m freestyle at the Sydney Olympics, having only learned to swim eight months before the event.

Canoe Racing New Zealand (CRNZ) has faced significant criticism for selecting these athletes, as they exploited an unusual aspect of the Olympic qualification rules.

The pairing of James Munro and Kacey Ngataki earned New Zealand a spot in the C2 500m by winning a race at the Oceania Championships in Sydney in February.

That competition saw them defeat an Australian team featuring competitors in their 60s and 70s, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Grant Clancy (left) and Max Brown finished nearly a minute behind their competitors in an embarrassing display, according to New Zealand kayaking icon Ian Ferguson.

The Kiwis struggled at the finish of their 500-meter race, visibly far behind their competition.

Clancy and Brown’s performance drew parallels to ‘The Eel’ Moussambani, who experienced a similar fate in Sydney.

CRNZ opted not to send Munro and Ngataki to the Games, instead selecting Brown, Clancy, Hamish Legarth, and Kurtis Imrie to allow the latter pair to participate in both the K4 and K2 events.

The disgraceful finish led to Kiwi kayaking legend Ian Ferguson expressing his disappointment.

‘This blemishes our silver fern,’ Ferguson, who has won four Olympic golds, told Stuff.

‘It was disheartening to watch. It was truly embarrassing.’

‘They took the easy route… this isn’t a commendable way to participate… We’ve slightly skirted the rules.’

‘Their record will reflect this as a very embarrassing day.’

The pair’s time would have placed them in last among the female competitors in their heats by a gap of 12 seconds.

However, there are rumors that the duo might have been conserving energy, as they had two K4 races to complete on the same day.