1996 Olympics
The Olympics Come to the Ocoee
The eyes of the world turned to the Ocoee River this summer, July 26-28,
1996.The world's best battled it out in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Canoe/Kayak-Slalom
Competition. It was the only gold medal event outside the state of Georgia.
It was also the first Olympic whitewater slalom competition to be held on
a natural river.
In a process that began in 1988, The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games
(ACOG) identified the Ocoee River as the only option for whitewater events
in close proximity to Atlanta. Then in 1991, the Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA), the State of Tennessee, and the Copper Basin Economic Development
Association participated in a joint study to gauge the impact of an Olympic
event on the region. This study concluded that holding the competition on
the Ocoee would mean a boom to the local economy.
As a result, the State, TVA, and the USDA Forest Service, managers of the
Cherokee National Forest, cooperatively agreed to develop the site for the
Olympic Canoe/Kayak-Slalom Competition. The responsibilities of each group
were as follows: the Forest Service agreed to build it; TVA agreed to turn
the water on and provide professional and technical support; and the State
agreed to join forces with ACOG to organize and operate the events.
This partnership between these agencies and citizens of the Ocoee Region
is now forging the future of southeast Tennessee.
Olympic Whitewater Slalom Has Short History
Whitewater slalom has been included on the Olympic program two other times-in
the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
The addition of the whitewater slalom discipline in the Olympics is an expansion
of the canoeing sport, which has been a medal event on the Olympic program
since 1936 in Berlin. Flatwater sprint racing has been included in every
Olympic Games since, but whitewater's association with the games has been
limited.
Four competition classes are included in slalom racing: men's single kayak
(K-1), women's single kayak (K-1W), men's single canoe (C-1), and men's
double canoe (C-2).
Whitewater slalom is competed on a 350 - 600 meter long channel featuring
rapids, usually in the Class III to IV range (Class I is calm, slow-moving
water, Class VI is unnavigable). Each boat gets two runs down the course
of 25 gates (a minimum of 6 gates must be upstream gates, where the paddlers
must turn the boat and pass through the gate against the river's current).
Results are recorded in points, which are derived from the time from start
to finish in seconds, plus any penalty points for touching a gate or failure
to negotiate a gate. The better of the two runs counts toward final standings.
The competition on the Ocoee River marked the first time Olympic whitewater
has been competed on a natural stream. Although the sport originated on
natural rivers, the other two Olympic competitions (in Ausberg, Germany
and La Seu d'Urgell, Spain) were held on artificial courses constructed
especially for the Olympic Games.
Photo By:Official Guide Southern Highroads
Home Page
Ocoee Page
Hiwassee Page