2012 Olympic Course

Phil · Post by **Phil** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:30 pm

Venue construction status

Construction of the aquatic centre, the Velopark
(track and BMX), Regents Park softball centre and
the Broxbourne canoe kayak slalom course would
take place irrespective of the Games. In addition,
the 90,000-seat Wembley football stadium will be
completed in early 2006.

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Above is a quote from the "Report of the IOC Evaluation Commission for the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012"

IOC Report

Page 15 for those interested.

Looks fairly promising, anybody know more!

campbell · Post by **campbell** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 4:23 pm

I went to some kind of promotional day in Broxbourne for London 2012 where i saw the plans for the course and spoke to some people involved with it.

The assured me that their intention was to build the course irrespective of whether London got the games or not.

Yes, sounds good, but i'll only believe it when i see it actually finished!

Campbell

Phil · Post by **Phil** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 1:03 pm

BRING IT ON !!!!!!

Pingu · Post by **Pingu** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 1:11 pm

Brilliant news.

Another quality slalom site for the UK, guaranteed.

Any news on the other vote? I understand that this IOC meeting will also decide the sports to be included at the Games. Each existing sport is voted on separately and needs a simple majority to be included in 2012.

If a sport fails to get approved, it leaves a "vacancy" for another to be included (to be decided at a subsequent meeting). Any replacement sport requires a two thirds majority of approval.

I asssume that there is no danger of slalom not being included????

Jimi3000 · Post by **Jimi3000** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 2:25 pm

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

London 2012, its gonna be so awesome!!!! i never thort we'd win!!!!

i reckon polo would be really good in the olympics, and we might win that......

frontman · Post by **frontman** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 9:16 pm

its not looking good for canoeing at the olympics - see this canandian news article - I believe that the IOC vote on the status of all the sports on Friday this week.

Joe Stevo · Post by **Joe Stevo** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:56 pm

was canoe slalom not the third most watched event in the athens olympics? that has to be good for something!!!

Geebs · Post by **Geebs** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:09 am

I agree with Jimi3000, Canoe Polo would be an excellent choice as all the players play for the fun of the sport and no one gets paid for doing it.

It would be great for the spectators and as we have already world beating teams we should stand a good chance of winnining some more Gold medals.

Bring on Canoe Polo

Dutch Geezer · Post by **Dutch Geezer** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 3:19 pm

Isn't that how Canoe Slalom use to be before it became an Olympic sport again.

Smoggie · Post by **Smoggie** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:48 pm

I agree with Stevo. The Olympics is about what? TV coverage (MONEY), like it or not. And the 3rd most watched sport isnt likely to get axed. Also, I read that article frontman found. I aint sure how expensive the course would be to run or build, but with 8million plus people in London alone, im sure there would be a lot of money to be made from rafts and stuff like that.

Smoggie · Post by **Smoggie** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 8:01 pm

Sorry. the olympics is not just about tv and money, but they do have a part to play.

Geebs · Post by **Geebs** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:43 pm

Seems a bit of a waste acording to the papers, turning a purpose built whitewater slalom course over to the rafters rather than using it for the purpose it was built for.

But I guess it comes back to the old "Bums on Seats" thing, the most you can get in a slalom boat is two, you can get more in a raft and charge them loads of money to do it.

Perhaps we ought to introduce rafting in to the Olympics??

And yes you are right Dutch Geezer, it could spoil Canoe Polo if it made it into the Olympics.

Pingu · Post by **Pingu** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:29 am

On the IOC site this morning:

26 of the current 28 sports have been approved for 2012.

The two not confirmed are baseball and softball.

That's a relief then.

Phil · Post by **Phil** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 5:19 pm

Just found this trawling the net ???

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Two canoe courses for Broxbourne Olympic site

THE British Canoe Union has revealed that TWO separate white water courses will be built in Broxbourne for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Chris Hawkesworth, the BCU's national access and facilities manager, said the 207-acre site in Spitalbrook will become home to a horseshoe-shaped course, for paddlers of all abilities.

A larger venue for beginners and intermediate canoeists will incorporate a shorter Olympic course, complete with bigger waves and steeper gradients.

Temporary stands will be erected inside and around the course to accommodate up to 40,000 spectators at the Olympics, with a special platform built to offer spectators easy access to Broxbourne railway station.

There are currently three major white water centres in the UK, but Lee Valley Park's venue will be the biggest and the best.

Up to 60,000 people a year are expected to use the facility once the Olympics has finished and it will be the largest in the UK, replacing the National Water-sports Centre in Nottingham.

Hawkesworth, told the Mercury: "We are trying to accommodate the Olympic course which is steep and sharp with a longer course with a lesser gradient that can be used after the Games for slalom canoeing and other sports.

"There will be a legacy in place so that after the Olympics youngsters will be able to make recreational use of the site, and there will also be national and world championships held there.

"The sport is growing by eight-per-cent a year at the moment and we expect that to continue.

"Canoeing is one of those broad-based sports which people take part in for different reasons and it's fast becoming a mainstream sport."

The next step for the project is for drawings and tenders to be confirmed, in liaison with the London Olympic Organising Committee (LOCOG).

However, the organisers must await legislation in Parliament before work can officially begin on the Spitalbrook site.

Later this year, Broxbourne Council and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) will liaise with the London Development Agency, the Olympic Development Agency and other partners to confirm final plans.

There are still technical checks to be carried out and environmental issues to be resolved at the venue, which has been worked for gravel for the past 50 years and has never been accessible to the public.

But LVRPA is keen to start work as soon as possible and the main objective is to get the venue fully operational by 2009.

Funding for the course, expected to cost between £9m and £11m, will come out of a public sector funding package of nearly £3billion made up of National Lottery cash, London Council Tax and London Development Agency money.

Adam Rigarlsford, senior development manager of Sport England East, said: "Lee Valley Park is already used for a wide range of activities and it's a great boost that it will now be used for the Olympics. It will inspire people to take part, not just those involved in sport but also spectators and volunteers.

"It'll be a great morale boost for any aspiring athletes who want to compete in the greatest show on earth and will encourage more people to be active."

08 July 2005