Oficial Media Release Brazil

The best of slalom canoeing disputes World Championship Slalom in Foz do Iguaçu
Event, valid as Qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, congregate more than three hundred athletes in one of the most beautiful brazilian landscapes

More than three hundred athletes of 65 countries, between them many olympic champions as the french Tony Estanguet and the slovakian brothers Peter and Pavol Hochschorner, will be congregate in Foz do Iguaçu in the period of 19 to 23 of September to participation of the Slalom World Championship, valid event as Qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and that it will define about 60% of the available spots of the modality.

The Slalom World Championship will be disputed in the categories K1 male and female, C1 and C2 male, beyond the dispute for teams; and all will happen in Itaipu Channel, located in the Piracema Park of the Itaipu Hydroeletric, projected in 2005 to take care of the development of the canoeing in Brazil and considered the best artificial track of the modality in Latin America. “The track is excellent and will be much more important for the evolution of the brazilian athletes who to each year are better”, said the olympic champion in the C1 Tony Estanguet who comes more than six months of training to compete in Foz do Iguaçu.

For the 17 times brazilian champion and participant of two Olympic Games, Gustavo Selbach, the construction of a international level track in the country is excelent to the development of the brazilian canoeing. “It´s an excellent track. I am very enthusiastic with the Itaipu Channel”, said Selbach that will have partners in the brazilian delegation João Vitor Machado and Ricardo Taques in the K1; Milene Wolf, Poliana de Paula and Fabíola Almeida in the K1 Female; Filipi Santin, Bruno Machado and Casio Petry in the C1; beyond the pairs Guillermo Salles/Tiago Nicola, Alan Schmidt/Ricardo Pacheco and Casio Petry/Bruno Machado in the C2.

To increase more the degree of difficulties in the Slalom Racing and to incite the disputes of the competition, the direction of the National Operator of Eletric System(ONS), it was committed in keeping the water level of the reservoir of Itaipu, above of the call quota 219. “Such rise will demand redoubled effort of the athletes, raising the level of the competitions”, said Argos Rodrigues, superintendent of the Brazilian Canoeing Confederation(CBCa).

For the president of the CBCa, João Tomasini Schwertner, the Slalom World Championship in the city will enter in the history of the brazilian sport in reply to the yearnings of Brazilian Olympic Committee and the Brazilian Ministry of the Sport to host the Olympic Games in Brazil, that had recently officialized the candidacy of Brazil to receive the Olympic Games in 2016. “An event as this without a doubt will enter in such a way for history of the city as well for the brazilian canoeing, therefore we will show to everyone that brazilian canoeing is not behind of another country in if treating to structure to host an great event as it”, he detached.

Another important information is that sixty percent of spots - 46 of the 70 available ones - of the athletes who will participate of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are will be defined this year in Itaipu Channel. The excessively spots ones to Beijing will be disputed in continental competitions to be carried through in the first semester of the year that comes. The American Continental match will happen in April, in Charlotte, in the United States, where they will be in dispute more four spots to Beijing.

More information in: http://www.foz2007.org.br/, http://www.cbca.org.br/ e http://www.canoeicf.com/