Ondrej Cibak Whitewater Slalom Course

49.0735°N 19.619°E / 49.0735; 19.619

The final section of the course as it passes in front of the newly constructed stadium.
Ondrej Cibak Whitewater Slalom Course
Areál vodného slalomu Ondreja Cibáka
About
LocaleLiptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia
Managing agentTatra Canoe Club
DesignerOndrej Cibák
Main shapeY-shaped
AdjustableNo
Water sourceVáh River
PumpedNo
Flow diversionYes
Practice poolYes
GrandstandsCovered Stadium
Canoe liftNo
FacilitiesYes
Construction2002 North (Orava) reconstuction

2004 South (Váh) reconstruction

2012 Stadium
Opening date1978
Stats
LengthNorth (Orava): 300 metres (984 ft) South (Váh): 335 metres (1,099 ft)
Drop7.5 metres (25 ft)
SlopeNorth (Orava): 2.5% (132 ft/mi) South (Váh): 2.2% (118 ft/mi)
Flowrate15 m3/s (530 cu ft/s)
Tatra Canoe Club

The Ondrej Cibak Whitewater Slalom Course, in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia, is the world's second-oldest artificial whitewater venue for international canoe slalom competition, after the Augsburg Eiskanal. Built in 1978, it diverts water around a small dam on the Váh river. With recent upgrades, including a covered stadium for spectators, it remains a prime site for the sport.[1]

As a training facility, it is home course for canoe slalom's most highly decorated athlete, Michal Martikán, who has five Olympic medals, two of them gold, and for Elena Kaliská, who also has two Olympic golds. Both athletes have won numerous World and European Championships.[2]

In addition to slalom practice, experienced paddlers can train in kayaks and canoes for running narrow creeks. For the general public, it operates as a family water park with guided raft trips.

Venue

Two parallel channels merge beyond the halfway point. The shorter, steeper branch, on the north side, called the Orava channel, makes a dramatic left turn and drop into the common channel. The water diverters are non-moveable boulders cemented into place.

Ondrej Cibák Whitewater Slalom Course in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia

The 7.5 meter drop is the highest of any artificial whitewater course in the international competition circuit, giving Cibak the steepest overall slope, over 2% for both branches. The common channel and the south branch are rated as whitewater class II-III, with the north branch class III-IV.[1]

It was the site for the 2013 Junior and U23 World Championships, held on 17-21 July.[3]

The gate maps for these races are shown below, upstream gates in red. All gates are 2-pole gates; numbers with arrows are flush gates navigated in the direction of the arrow.

ICF Junior & U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships 2013 -- Gate set for Preliminary Heats.
ICF Junior & U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships 2013 -- Gate set for Semi-finals and Finals
  • North Branch.
    North Branch.
  • South Branch.
    South Branch.
  • Confluence of North and South Branches.
    Confluence of North and South Branches.
  • Stadium seats.
    Stadium seats.
  • End of course.
    End of course.

References
  1. "The Bid for 2013 ICF Junior Canoe Slalom World Championships". Slovak Canoe Assoviation. Retrieved 23 June 2013. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  2. "Whitewater slalom Ondrej Cibák". Information center of Liptovsky Mikulas. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  3. Race Notice International Canoe Federation. Retrieved 28 May, 2013
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