Clear water in the course

The "Good Luck Beijing" Canoe/Kayak Flatwater Open is scheduled to open on August 23. Xin Qunying, deputy director of the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park, the venue for the tournament, revealed in an interview that the water quality of the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park has reached the Olympic standards and has been approved by the International Canoe Federation.

The successes of the 2007 FISA World Rowing Junior Championships held on August 7-11 and the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 Canoe/Kayak Slalom Open on August 16-19 has helped test not only the competition management in the Olympic mode but also the operation of the venues and their supporting facilities. For aquatic sports, water is undoubtedly one of the most important hardware elements.

"Water is surely vital to canoe/kayak events. For example, clear water or porridge, which would you like to paddle in?" Xin asked with a smile. "Officials from the ICF tested the water quality once every three days before the tournament and once every day after the beginning of the competition," he added, and they were very much satisfied with the quality of the water here at the park, which fully complies with the Olympic standards." According to Xin, the water was dispatched by the Beijing municipal government in a centralized way; and there are as many as 72,000 tons of fresh water joining the circulation every day.

"As paddlers we are very excited to have uch a beautiful course with clear water, as it certainly helps us in achieving good results," said Yang Wenjun, champion of the men's C-2 500m event at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.