The Only Natural Whitewater Rafting Venue in Olympic History
The 1996 Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta, Georgia. The Ocoee Whitewater Center served as the canoe slalom. The Ocoee is the only in-river course to be used for Olympic slalom competition. Others are man-made, such as the Lee Valley Whitewater Center in London, constructed for the 2012 games. The more recent Olympic venues rely entirely on pumped water and use smaller concrete channels.
Since most Olympic host cities are located far from usable whitewater, canoe slalom is a relatively recent addition to the Olympic games. The 1996 Atlanta Games produced the third such venue by modifying the then-dry stream bed of the Upper Ocoee River. As the only in-river Olympic venue ever, it had the greatest water volume, the highest drop, and the steepest slope.
A 1,640 foot stretch of the Upper Ocoee River was narrowed by two-thirds to create the drops and eddies needed for a slalom course. The course now only runs summer weekends, for use by guided rafts and private boaters. Finally, when the river has water, 24 commercial rafting companies take more than 750 raft passengers through the course each day. No longer used as a slalom course, the Ocoee Whitewater Center now operates as part of the U.S. Forest Service, offering assistance to hikers, mountain bikers, and even hosting conferences and weddings. On average, 300,000 people visit here annually. Guest love that they can do Olympic rafting on the Ocoee River.
For the final slalom race of the 1996 Olympic games, there were 25 gates, 6 upstream and 19 downstream. Also the 500-meter course was twice the length of the Lee Valley course, but with a similar number of gates. At Ocoee, racers had to sprint between the widely separated gates at the top and maneuver through the closely spaced gates around the Humongous rapid at the bottom.
Commercial rafts often go down the right side at Humongous for the two-drop roller coaster ride. Here at Outland Expeditions, we take pride in the historical importance of our river. We strive to give our guests the same experience that competitors received as the world watched.
Book your White Water Rafting Ocoee Olympic Course with Outland Expeditions!
https://www.outlandexpeditions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Safety-Tips-1.png10801080Dakota Davishttps://www.outlandexpeditions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Outland-Expeditions-Logo.webpDakota Davis2023-06-23 16:06:412025-03-12 20:55:53White Water Rafting Ocoee Olympic Course
0replies
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion? Feel free to contribute!
raft, whitewater, canoe, dam, canoe slalom, mountain, ocoee whitewater center, water, river, trail, rapids, 1996 summer olympics, boat, east tennessee, paddle, hiking, mountain biking, bridge, north carolina, olympic games, tennessee valley authority, cherokee national forest, american canoe association, lake, lee valley white water centre, canoe sprint, standup paddleboarding, suspension bridge, canyon, united states forest service, sport, segre olympic park, olympic sports, slalom, whitewater kayaking, kayak roll, augsburg eiskanal, artificial whitewater, whitewater canoeing, tennessee, canoe kayak canada, eddy, ski, length, international canoe federation, evy leibfarth, rowing, international olympic committee, segre, olympic water rafting, whitewater rafting olympics, chattahoochee river, nantahala river, chattooga river, georgia, zip line, nantahala national forest, nantahala outdoor center, great smoky mountains, blue ridge mountains, bull sluice, pigeon river
white water rafting near atlanta georgia, ocoee river olympics, olympic whitewater kayaking, ocoee river olympic section, white water kayaking olympics, olympics rafting, 1996 olympic white water rafting, ocoee olympics, is rafting an olympic sport, olympic rafting, white water rafting in the olympics, olympics white water rafting, is white water rafting an olympic sport, olympic white water, 1996 olympic whitewater course, white water rafting lee valley, olympics ocoee river, rafting olympics, 1996 olympics white water rafting, white water olympics, white water rafting olympic course, 1996 olympics ocoee river, olympic whitewater, white water rafting olympics, white water rafting, atlanta olympic whitewater course, olympic canoe course, atlanta olympics whitewater, 96 olympics white water rafting, ocoee river 1996 olympics, atlanta olympics white water rafting, olympics white water kayaking, white water rafting atlanta, olympics rapids, ocoee olympic, whitewater rafting olympics, olympic whitewater rafting, lee valley rafting, white water rafting olympic, is white water rafting in the olympics, olympic whitewater venue, 1996 olympic kayaking, olympic whitewater canoeing, olympic white water canoeing, white water rafting ocoee olympic course, olympics river rafting, atlanta olympic kayak venue, water rafting olympics, white water rafting in olympics, whitewater olympics, olympic white water rafting, ocoee olympic course, olympic canoeing course, olympic rapids, atlanta white water rafting, white water rafting olympic sport, white water rafting near atlanta, nile river and olympics, white water rafting atlanta ga, ocoee olympic center, water rafting atlanta, white water rafting close to atlanta, atlanta rafting, ocoee river olympic course, ocoee olympic section
Lee Valley Whitewater Center
The Lee Valley Whitewater Center in London was constructed for the 2012 Olympic games, making it a man-made Olympic venue. It boasted the greatest water volume, the highest drop, and the steepest slope of any in-river venue. Despite no longer being used for slalom racing, it remains a popular spot for visitors and outdoor enthusiasts.
Ocoee Whitewater Center
The Ocoee Whitewater Center, home to the Ocoee Olympic Course, is now operated by the U.S. Forest Service. Surrounded by scenic beauty, it offers assistance to hikers, mountain bikers, and even hosts events like conferences and weddings. With an average of 300,000 visitors annually, it continues to be a hub of outdoor recreation and adventure.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!