Home » Ivrea, the European Canoe Slalom Championship in May

Ivrea, the European Canoe Slalom Championship in May

by admin

The race will have the value of Olympic qualification in view of the Tokyo 2021 games. Great organizational effort to avoid the risk of contagion. The organizer Roviera: «We wanted to give a signal of rebirth». The competitions will be without an audience
THE SENTRY IN A MINUTE

IVREA

It begins again! Between a thousand difficulties and as many unknowns, the Ivrea canoe is ready to get back into the game. The international competition scheduled for the weekend of 10-11 April will be a sort of dress rehearsal in view of the prestigious appointment scheduled from 6 to 9 May: the absolute European Canoe Slalom Championship, which will also have the value of Olympic qualification in view of the Games Tokyo 2021.

Organizing a sporting event in the Covid era is like facing a “red door” (those to be overcome in the opposite direction to the current) with particularly raging waters. But the organizing committee that takes care of the May appointment does not let itself be frightened: “While respecting the rules imposed by the period and with all the consequent limitations, we are ready – says Claudio Roviera, president of the Proteina association, which organizes the event and, consequently, competition manager of the test -. The first, big limitation, will be that which concerns the public. By now the canoe competitions for the people of Ivrea had become an opportunity to crowd the spaces surrounding the canoe stadium, a cheerful happening for enthusiasts and onlookers. This time it will not be like this: the ban on gatherings will mean that only professionals will be able to access the plant, as happened in September on the occasion of the National Canoe Slalom Championships. It is more than evident that the public represents an added value to the competition, but the alternative would have been to give up the races altogether, so we have chosen the lesser evil, also to keep alive a tradition that we hope to live again as soon as possible. percent, when this period will be over and the races will be able to return to being an occasion of celebration ».

See also  Raggi against Conte: "I am a candidate, my no is for future alliances"

SUPER DEPARTURE

The May European Championship on the waters of the Dora is really a starting point: just think that it represents the resumption of high-level canoe competitions in the world after the 2019 La Seu d’Urgell World Championships. And Europe proves to be more courageous of the other continents, because the 2021 African, Pan American and Asian continental championships have been canceled. «We considered it important to give a signal of rebirth, even if we are well aware that the end of the emergency is still far away – continues Roviera -. We do not know how long this period will be and what we can do between now and its end. But it is important not to give up, even with all the respect due to this global situation. We wanted to keep faith with a commitment made in 2018, both out of a sense of responsibility and because we believe it is important to keep the movement alive, to exploit our plant for events of international resonance ».

competitions behind closed doors

The “behind closed doors” competitions involve, paradoxically, a greater organizational effort: «Today we have to deal with difficulties that are known to us and certainly with unknowns that may arise between now and May. The big picture was utterly unimaginable when our candidacy was accepted three years ago. At the time there was talk of technical, competitive, organizational aspects. Today the top priority is that of health. We will have to work with a view to total safety, in order not to jeopardize the health of athletes, technicians and judges, also because let’s not forget that we will be close to the Olympic Games and we will have a huge responsibility towards all those who will come to Ivrea in those days. “. Organizing an event of this size in spring 2021 means foreseeing at least a double round of tampons in the week of competitions, expanding the logistical spaces to ensure the necessary distance, checking that everyone adopts the principals to avoid contagion: “Surely it was better when the” problem ”, obviously in quotes, was managing the flow of 4,000-5,000 people in our spaces. This year we will be a tenth, but the logistics will be even more complex to organize ». The public will still be able to enjoy the show offered by the athletes in the race: the tests will be broadcast in streaming and technological solutions are being studied that will allow active participation also respecting what is currently the number one imperative: “Stay at home” .

See also  Taking courage as the leading role, daring to do good, and forging ahead in a new journey to create a good atmosphere for the party's 20 victories - Xinhua English.news.cn

the volunteers

The recruitment of volunteers is also more complex than usual: “To limit the risks as much as possible, we will have to ensure that the people involved are as few as possible and for this reason there will be a preferential lane for those who can guarantee a constant presence throughout the arch of the event. In general, we have always tried to encourage the participation of anyone who was available even for limited periods, while this time the parameters will be different, just as the general situation is different. But the “recruitment” is open and the candidacies welcome ». The European Championships, albeit with the limitations illustrated so far, will have an important economic impact on the territory: «The attendance, even without an audience – points out Roviera – will be significant: over 400 people including athletes, coaches and technical staff of the various national teams. This could bring benefits above all to the most penalized sectors: the hotel and catering sector and the trade sector. Obviously, hoping that in May the constraints will be less stringent than now ». The organizing committee’s pride of place is to allow the Azzurri to play on their “home waters” the last pass available for the Tokyo Olympics: having already won the qualification in the women’s categories (both C1 and K1) and in the men’s K1, it remains to assign a place in the men’s C1: Italy, Germany and Russia will play it on the waters of the Dora.

Federico Bona

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy