Augsburg Eiskanal

Augsburg Eiskanal
Augsburg Eiskanal Wassermachine
About
LocaleAugsburg, Germany
Managing agentAugsburger Kayak Club eV Canoe Schwaben Augsburg
Main shapeLinear
AdjustableFive barn-door deflectors hinged to the side walls of the channel
Water sourceLech River
PumpedNo
Flow diversionYes (dam release)
Practice poolYes
Surf waveYes
GrandstandsLandscaped into hillsides
Canoe liftNo
FacilitiesYes
ConstructionJuly 1970 - August 1971
Opening dateAugust 1971
Stats
Length308 m (1,010 ft)
Width10 m (33 ft)
Drop4.1 m (13 ft)
SlopeCompetition: 1.3% (63 ft/mi)
Flowrate10 m3/s (350 cu ft/s)
Eiskanal Augsburg
The Arch Bridge rapid at Eiskanal, its steepest drop.

The Augsburg Eiskanal is an artificial whitewater river in Augsburg, Germany, constructed as the canoe slalom venue for the 1972 Summer Olympics in nearby Munich.

The first artificial whitewater course of its kind, it introduced the sport of canoe slalom (using decked canoes and kayaks) to the Olympic Games.[1] However, because of the expense of building artificial rivers and supplying them with water, canoe slalom was missing from the next four Summer Olympics. It returned with the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and has been featured in every Summer Olympics since then.[2]

The Eiskanal has thus served as the prototype for six Olympic whitewater venues, from 1992 through 2012, and for more than fifty training and competition facilities in eighteen countries (see list). Despite being the oldest, it is still one of the most widely used, hosting two World Championships and numerous World Cup races. It was a World Cup venue for all but four of the years 1990 through 2010, and it was so again in 2013 and 2014.

The facility and its website are jointly managed by two clubs with headquarters in the boat house, Augsburger Kayak Club eV and Canoe Schwaben Augsburg.[3]

  1. ^ Kunze, Ed., Herbert (1974). "The Official Report of the Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXth Olympiad Munich 1972,Volume 2: The constructions, pp 154-159, 208-209" (PDF). proSport GmbH & Co. KG. München. Digital version: Copyright, © 2003, Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
  2. ^ "Augsburg Eiskanal, Olympic Canoe Slalom Course" (PDF). Regio Augsburg Tourismus GmbH. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
  3. ^ "Eiskanal Augsburg". 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-17.