Canoe Chief Looks Downriver Toward London Olympics

(ATR) The secretary general of the International Canoe Federation tells Around the Rings his sport's long-term strategic plan of meeting goals and objectives is on course ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

"One of these objectives is better media exposure with live television coverage, which is what we’ve had with the world cup series and at the upcoming world championships,"Simon Toulson told ATR in Prague as paddling's world cup season came to a close.

"We want to see the sport grow to a reasonable level where people know our athletes and there is money coming into our sport to make it be a good mid-range Olympic sport."

Toulson said last month's 2012 test event went off without a hitch and that only minor tweaks are needed to parts of the course where athletes thought the conditions too difficult.

"I can tell you quite categorically that it is the best test event we’ve ever had for the canoe slalom," he said about London's Lee Valley White Water Center.

"The color of the water and clarity of it and the whole course is absolutely fantastic."

"We think it will be one of the to-be-seen competitions in London along with beach volleyball and maybe BMX."

New to the Olympic program in London are four flat-water sprint events at the non-traditional distance of 200 meters.

"It’s a 35-second sprint, and spectators can see it all," Toulson said.

"We’ve sold out the last two days in London, and it’s going to be a cracking experience."

One challenge the sport faces is that only one boat per country per event can take part in the Games.

The IOC cut the number of Olympic participants after 1996, and it’s conceivable the sport’s biggest stars – the three-time Olympic champion Hochschorner brothers – could be absent in London should they lose to another Slovakian team at next month's world championships.

"We approached Jacques Rogge about this, and he said ‘you know that my own sport sailing is the same way,’ and we can’t argue against that. There are certain restrictions in the IOC and at the Olympic Games with only a certain amount of places, and we have to live with that," Toulson said.

"We want to get as many countries in and as much exposure as possible, but we also want the best athletes. We do our best, and we’ve been really happy with the world cup season this year."

Paddlers Praise London Venue

"It’s a really good, solid course where you have to always pick up the right line because if you get out of the right line, it’s really hard to pick back up," VavřinecHradílek told ATRabout the Olympic venue at Lee Valley.

Hradílek, 24, of Czech Republic was fastest in the men’s kayak singles at the year's fourth and final world cup, adding to his recent victory at last month’s test event and establishing himself as an early favorite for the Summer Games.

"White water courses are hard to compare, but this for sure is one of the best courses I’ve ever paddled, and it’s a better location than Beijing because it’s closer to the city center, which we are always pleased about."

David Florence of Great Britain won a pairof bronze medals in Prague and appears to be the home country’s best hope for 2012 after winning silver in Beijing.

"The venue is very impressive, really world class with big water and really fast so it’s great for the sport in Britain to have another venue to go with Nottingham, and also such a good venue," Florence said about Lee Valley.

Qualifying for the 2012 Games begins at the world championships slated from Sept. 6 to 11 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Togo’s Olympic Medalist

Benjamin Boukpeti made history three years ago in Beijing by becoming the first Olympic medalist representing the Togolese Republic.

Born to a Togolese father and French mother, Boukpeti paddled to bronze in the men’s singles kayak class in 2008 and is aiming to qualify for a third Olympics in London.

Following his accomplishment in Beijing, the native of Toulouse, France visited the small African country for the first time as an adult and has since returned regularly to further develop youth athletic programs and to teach his sport.

"My idea for sure was that I have to give something to all of the population, some education and bring the Olympic spirit to Togo," Boukpeti told ATR.

"It’s been a good experience because paddling is not a well-known sport in Africa and kayaking is a little bit dangerous, so it’s a little bit of a strange approach, but we like to teach it there."

Boukpeti, who now faces a challenger from Senegal with only one Olympic slot guaranteed to Africa, will attempt to earn his trip to London at next month’s world champs.

Written in Prague by Brian Pinelli.