Canoeing at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's C-1 500 metres

The men's C-1 500 metres event was an open-style, individual canoeing event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1980 Summer Olympics program.

Heats
Twelve competitors were entered, but one withdrew. Held on July 30, the top three finishers in each heat moved on to the final with the others were relegated to the semifinal.

Semifinal
A semifinal was held on August 1 with the top three finishers advancing to the final.

Final
The final took place on August 1.