The Vltava River flooded out the slalom course in Troja
The organizers of the World Championship in white water slalom, which will take place in Prague Troja from 2nd to 6th August 2006, are sad. Flood has been destroying their effort, which they had to make in the last months: the Vltava River quite flooded out the artificial slalom course in Troja on Wensday This area should welcome in August more than 400 competitors from 80 countries, who will compete for the titles of world champions in white-watre slalom. The reconstructions, which had been being done, had to be stopped and the white water slalomers were forced to work as a volunteers as they did four years ago. They tried to save as much things as possible.
„We carried down all of the gates from the slalom course on Tuesday. The average flow rate in the course is usually 13 m3/s. But on Wednesday the flow rate was even hundred times higher - 1300 m3/s. As a matter of facts there isn’t any slalom course anymore,“complained the head of the organizing committee of Worlds Jiri Rohan. „Unfortunately, the columns have remained there and it’s likely water folds them down. It‘s difficult to say, what will happen with the obstacles,“he added.
The part of Troja area is closed, so that the fieldwork in the area of the slalom course had to be stopped. Only small modifications are being done in the boathouse, which second part is just before finish. „The house inspection is sheduled in five weeks,“ recalled Rohan
On Wednesday in the afternoon water stopped just before the building of boathouse, but themeteorologists suppose that the high-water level will rise more. „Twenty or thirty centimetres more and water will also be inside the boathouse. In this case all the ground floor is flooded,“was anxious the head of the organiying committee of Worlds.
The second most important race in white water slalom comes back to the Czech republic after long 39 years and Prague will hold this kind of race for the first time. This premiere will have the symbolical imporance – the Czech capital is considering candidature for organising the Olympic Games in the year 2016 as the case may be 2020 and the artificial slalom course will be the only place where will take place the World Championship in the olympic sport in the year2006.