Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre
Encyclopedia
Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre and featured 550 competitors taking part in 14 events....
and canoe sprint
Canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre for the sprint events and the Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Centre at the Helliniko Olympic Complex for the canoe and kayak slalom disciplines....
events at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
It is the most northerly venue of the 2004 Games situated to the east of the town of Marathon
Marathon, Greece
Marathon is a town in Greece, the site of the battle of Marathon in 490 BC, in which the heavily outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persians. The tumulus or burial mound for the 192 Athenian dead that was erected near the battlefield remains a feature of the coastal plain...
. It covers 1.24 km² and has a spectator capacity of 14,000. It is a part of Schinias National Park.
Although not fully completed until January 31, 2004, it held its first successful competition, the Junior World Rowing Championships
Junior World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Junior Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . A rower or coxswain shall be classified as a Junior until 31st December of the year in which he reaches the age of 18. After that date, he shall be classified as an Under 23 rower...
, in August 2003. During these championships, many boats became waterlogged due to gale force winds and the resulting water conditions. Most of the final rounds were raced over a shortened course to avoid worse water in the second half of the 2 km lake.
During construction there was controversy over environmental destruction as wetlands were remodelled for its construction.
The centre is one of only three FISA-approved training centers in the world, the others being in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
. It Hosts domestic and international rowing and canoeing meets, and has hosted the 2008 European Rowing Championships
2008 European Rowing Championships
The European Rowing Championships 2008, the 2nd after the decision made in May 2006 by the FISA to re-establish them, were held at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre, Marathon, Greece, between September 16 and September 21, 2008....
in September 2008. After the 2004 Olympics, the facility was completely reconstructed by the German company Hochtief
Hochtief
Hochtief Aktiengesellschaft is Germany's largest construction company. It is based in Essen but operates globally, ranking as the top general builder in the United States through its Turner Corporation subsidiary, and in Australia through the Leighton Group. In 2010 it employed more than 70,000...
.