Willem-Alexander Baan
Willem-Alexander Baan is an artificial lake in the Dutch village of Zevenhuizen near Rotterdam. It has been used as a rowing regatta venue since 2012 and hosted the 2016 World Rowing Championships.
History
Planning for the rowing lake started in 2002. Construction started in 2011 and was undertaken by the Government of Rotterdam,[1] and the facility was opened by the person it is named for, Willem-Alexander the King of the Netherlands, on 26 April 2013.[2]
The first competition was held in 2012, i.e. prior to the official opening of the facility. The first large competition that was held here was the rowing part of the European Universities Games 2014.[3] In August 2016, the venue hosted the World Rowing Championships,[4] the World Rowing U23 Championships,[5] and the World Rowing Junior Championships.[6]
Description
Willem-Alexander Baan is located parallel to the river Rotte. The competition area is laid out with eight lanes using the Albano buoy system. There is a second canal parallel to the competition area available for training runs and warm ups. The 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) course was designed in collaboration with the International Rowing Federation (FISA).[1]
References
- ^ a b "Background information". Willem-Alexander Baan. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "Opening Willem Alexander Baan" (in Dutch). Shivers. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "New rowing champions are known". European University Sports Association. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "2016 World Rowing Championships". International Rowing Federation. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ^ "2016 World Rowing Under 23 Championships". International Rowing Federation. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ^ "2016 World Rowing Junior Championships". International Rowing Federation. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
External links
- Official opening on YouTube (in Dutch)