8/1/2010

Four pumps which will send up to 16 cubic metres of water every second down the new Cardiff International White Water canoe centre will be turned on for the first time on Monday January 11.

Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman turn on the pumps which will see water cascading down the full course and give a sneak preview of how the £13.3m Olympic standard facility will look when it opens to the public in April.

The new centre, adjacent to Cardiff International Pool at Cardiff
International Sports Village, will provide the UK with its first Olympic-standard pumped water canoe slalom course, offering canoeing and white water rafting facilities ranging from starter to recreational through to full international and olympic competition use.

The facility has been constructed over the last two years in Cardiff Bay, with four turbines and moveable plastic giant lego-type blocks to create a range of different standards and competencies of white-water courses.

As the first pumped water olympic-standard facility in the UK the centre is expected to attract users from across the whole of the UK and Olympic Training Teams from many nations during 2010 to 2012..

The design is by the French company, HydroStadium, who have designed the courses for the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympics, with the detailed design and construction
carried out by Dean & Dyball Civil Engineering (Wales).

Councillor Berman said: "Cardiff Council is delivering yet another world class sports facility for the city which can also be used by people of all ages both from and visitors to Wales for their first experience on this type of water activity."