Hundreds of athletes are in town taking part in a world sprint canoe championship on Lake Banook in Dartmouth.
Debra Wilson, commodore of the Banook Canoe Club, tells our newsroom that 654 are competing from 54 countries in the ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships.
“It’s hugely busy. We’re so lucky to have all this activity,” says Wilson.
It runs under the organization Canoe 26 and follows the ICF Master Canoe Sprint World Championship June 25 to 27.
According to Wilson, it says a lot about Dartmouth to hold these events, despite having only months to pull it together after hearing about it January.
“They had to act very quickly,” explains Wilson. “To be able to put on this type of international event and do it well is pretty impressive.”
Generally, she says, you would need a year to plan it.
“We have a world-class lake facility,” explains Wilson. “We have the ability. We’ve all been able to respond to this huge opportunity.”
Banook Canoe Club recently underwent a revitalization after a $332,000 investment from the province two years ago. Wilson says, without it, they wouldn’t have been able to accommodate this event.
“We had our grand opening May 30 with a refreshed club. That has been just wonderful in terms of supporting both the world masters and the events that are happening right now.”
As for events in the future, Wilson says that is certainly the hope.
“We have the opportunity to showcase our venue. We get really good feedback on it. We get really good feedback on the organization,” says Wilson.
The competition runs until July 5.
