There is movement on the St. Maurice River in Shawinigan. Hundreds of canoe and kayak athletes prepare to compete in the National Sprint Championships in Canoe Kayak Canada.
Young athletes are installed on Avenue du Capitaine-Veilleux in Shawinigan. Dozens of tents and trailers filled with boats covered the competition site on Monday. The organization expects more than 1,200 contestants on Tuesday. Some, who come mainly from the west of the country, arrived on Sunday evening. The next day, they were many to tame the cycle.
“They test the shape of the starting lines, because if you don’t like that, when you get to a new course you have to tame them a little,” explained double medalist and President Emeritus Lawrence Vincent Lapointe. She also feels very fortunate to have these athletes in her area.
They are also expected to be accompanied by approximately 1,800 people. Many visitors will also have significant multi-million dollar economic benefits.
“From an economic point of view, it’s good because the hotel rooms are all pretty much booked,” stressed Marc Francoeur, chair of the event’s organizing committee.
For athletes, the real work begins on Tuesday. This is where the first races will take place. Most of them are not their first participation, but they must adapt to new challenges. Present one of them to two participants.
This is the first time in 120 years that the event has been held in Morrissey. Pride for the Shawinigan Boat Club who succeeded in attracting the organization. After several events were held on the water the place became known to the Federation.
“We have worked hard for many years on this, in our basin. Shawinigan is listed as the dream city for these tournaments,” Mr. Francoeur rejoiced.
Spectators will be able to watch 400 races over six days. Mr Francoeur promises high races. It is the final and last competition for athletes before they enter the World Championships.
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