Από την σελίδα της διεθνούς Ομοσπονδίας.
New life for Athens' rowing venue
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Leaving a lasting legacy after hosting the Olympic Games is one of the philosophies of the International Olympic Committee. It has been four years since Athens hosted the Olympic Games and rowers raced on the Schinias Olympic regatta course. What has happened to the venue?
Forty-three kilometres outside Athens, at Schinias, the Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre was purpose-built for the 2004 Olympic Games. Situated in the Schinias National Park, the centre is undergoing a revamp. But this did not happen quickly.
For two years following the 2004 Olympics the venue sat unused. The 2000m rowing course, plus associated buildings and a warm-up lake, saw no action. Management changed and uncertainty remained. Then the 2006 European Championships for canoe/kayak took place and Hellenic Olympic Properties, owners of the Olympic stadiums, moved in to renovate the rowing centre.
The venue has since received a burst of life. Schinias, since 2006, has become the national training centre and the Greek national team used it this year in their pre-Beijing preparation.
Filipos Andrianopoulos is now the venue manager, and the 2008 European Rowing Championships recently enjoyed racing on the Schinias course.
Andrianopoulos says the plan is to develop the venue as a training centre for other nations. He sees the advantage as a winter training option for rowers from colder countries. “There is good weather and ideal conditions all year long, especially during winter which is very mild here,” says Andrianopoulos who adds that it is rare to have bad weather that prevents rowing.
Andrianopoulos says that apart from sporting events the venue is also being developed in other ways. The area is protected – Schinias National Park has been included in the NATURA2000 network – and its development is considered to be one of the most significant environmental projects in Greece. “The basin is filled by local natural springs and has played an essential part in the restoration of the area’s wetland,” says Andrianopoulos. “Research and activities related to sustainable development have been conducted here and we want to run educational environmental programmes.”
The fauna in the area includes some rare species including a prehistoric fish which lives in the Schinias waters. There are also more than 79 different species of birds that have been recorded in the park and many unique insects and reptiles.
The size of the venue means maintenance is costly and about 20 people are needed for the day-to-day running of the centre. “That’s why we try to find other activities,” says Andrianopoulos. Once Schinias attracts a satisfactory number of rowers, the venue will then decide what other activities can fit in such as triathlons, open-water swimming, running and cycling events.
Following the success of the European Championships, there are plans in the future to bid for a Rowing World Cup or even, says Andrianopoulos, the World Rowing Championships.
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