A popular park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia has been transformed into an athlete’s village for the 2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, presented by Bell Aliant.

More than 70 countries, will be using Birch Cove Park, on Lake Banook, as a staging area during the championships.

“We wanted to take advantage of Lake Banook’s natural beauty and create something special for the visiting athletes,” said Chris Keevill, chair of Canoe ‘09. “It is incredible to see the transformation of this popular park and the improvements made for Canoe ‘09 will be another lasting legacy for the residents of HRM.”

Walking along the tree-lined paths in Birch Cove is a striking experience. The country names and flag signs are attached to the fronts of each tent, teamed with the different languages being spoken. It is an international journey heightened by the bustle of activity and crackling excitement as athletes prepare to compete.

The natural setting is a big departure from what is normally used at the Worlds.

“I think it’s a lot more natural looking,” said Steve Giles, an Olympic medalist and Canoe ‘09 Competition Chair. “A lot of times the athlete staging area is a kind of a concrete jungle, not a lot of trees and certainly not in the woods with a tent amongst the trees.”

Canoe 09 is the largest international sporting event ever held in Atlantic Canada. More than 1000 athletes, coaches and officials are in Nova Scotia for this event. 100,000 spectators are expected to take in the competition and festival beginning with the Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday evening on Prince Albert Road. For complete details, visit www.canoe09.ca.

-30-

Media Contact
Stacey Jones-Oxner
Communications Chair Canoe 09
902-497-6062
soxner@canoe09.ca

This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 10:51 am and is filed under Featured, Press Releases.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.