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Rio to stage Olympic canoe slalom test event

Xinhua, November 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

One of the most complex construction projects for next year's Olympic Games will be put under the microscope on Thursday when the canoe slalom test event starts in Rio de Janeiro.

Featuring 122 athletes from 26 countries and regions, the event will be staged at Whitewater Stadium, part of the Deodoro Park complex, according to Rio2016.com.

Competitors include the Czech Republic's current individual and team K1 world champion Jiri Prskavec, France's Emilie Fer, the K1 champion at London 2012, and Slovak twins Peter and Pavol Hochschorner, who have won medals together in the last four Olympic C-2 events.

Organizers said the venue's system of rapids were first switched on in September, having been tested by hydraulic engineers at Prague's Czech Technical University.

Former world champion Jaroslav Pollard, now a professor at the university, said: "Our aim was to help create a technically challenging course, with characteristics that would allow the canoeists to use their varied skills and experience." Endi