- Venue: Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park
- Location: Mapo Village, Shunyi District, Beijing
- Type: New
- Use during Olympic Games: Rowing, Canoe/Kayak (Flat-water and Slalom)
- Use during Paralympic Games: Rowing
- Floor area (sq m): 31,850
- Permanent seats: 1,200
- Temporary seats: 25,800 (10,000 for standing seats)
- Groundbreaking date: The first half year of 2005
- Planned completion date: July 28, 2007
Rowing
Tactically, it sounds as ludicrous as sprinting the first five kilometres of a marathon. To win a 2000-metre rowing race, the crew must sprint for the first 500 metres.
Such are the demands in the sport of the Athlete of the Century and the Oarsome Foursome.Rowing is an endurance test that finishes at a speed of up to 10 metres a second. Crews cover the middle 1000 metres at about 40 strokes per minute, but, over the first and last 500 metres, shift up a gear to as many as 47.
The modern master is Steve Redgrave of Great Britain, widely hailed as the greatest rower ever. A six-time World Champion, he won gold medals at the last five Olympic Games and has been loosely crowned Athlete of the Century.The rowing event of the 29th Olympic Games will be held at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park on the side of Chaobai River in Shunyi District of Beijing from August 9-17, 2008.
Canoe/kayak -- Flatwater
A whalebone and driftwood frame, with a sea-lion skin stretched tautly over it and waterproofed with whale fat, hardly suggests a budding Olympic sport. Yet the kayaks that meant life to the Inuits in the Arctic for centuries have become the racing kayaks of the modern world - even if the building materials have changed.
The link was 19th century British barrister John MacGregor. He studied the ancient kayaks, designed a similar boat and disappeared into the rivers and lakes of Europe's wilderness to become a noted travel writer of his time. When others copied his boat, he founded the Royal Canoe Club, and canoe regattas began a year later in 1866.
Canoe/kayak, consisting solely of the sprint, was a demonstration competition at the 1924 Olympic Games before gaining full-medal status in 1936. Europe remains the traditional power base, led by Germany, Sweden and the athletes of the former Soviet Union. The canoe/kayak event of the 29th Olympic Games will be held at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park on the side of Chaobai River in the Shunyi District of Beijing from August 11-23, 2008.
Canoe / Kayak Slalom
A whalebone and driftwood frame, with a sea-lion skin stretched tautly over it and waterproofed with whale fat, hardly suggests a budding Olympic sport. Yet the kayaks that meant life to the Inuits in the Arctic for centuries have become the racing kayaks of the modern world - even if the building materials have changed.
The link was 19th century British barrister John MacGregor. He studied the ancient kayaks, designed a similar boat and disappeared into the rivers and lakes of Europe's wilderness to become a noted travel writer of his time. When others copied his boat, he founded the Royal Canoe Club, and canoe regattas began a year later in 1866.
The sport reached the Olympic Games in 1924. Almost half a century later, in Munich in 1972, canoe/kayak branched out into the dramatic whitewater version, the slalom.
Competition- The slalom events, involving men's K1, C1 and C2 and women's K1 (denoting one or two paddlers in a canoe or kayak), require the paddlers to negotiate 20 to 25 gates in turbulent water over a 300-metre course. Competitors aim to complete the course in the shortest time, factoring in penalties.
The canoe/kayak event of the 29th Olympic Games will be held at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park on the side of Chaobai River in the Shunyi District of Beijing from August 11-23, 2008.