Two years before the Olympic Games, canoeing is invited around the Pont d’Avignon
The 1,000 paddles initiative will allow everyone to practice canoeing by highlighting the banks of the Rhône and the historical heritage of Avignon this Sunday, May 22.
The Young Avignon canoe-kayak club is organizing the 22nd edition of the 1,000 paddles event in Avignon, this Sunday, May 22, to allow everyone to discover these sports. The event aims to promote the values of Olympism, two years from the Paris 2024 Games, while highlighting the banks of the Rhône and the historical heritage of Avignon.
The morning will start at 10 a.m., with a parent-child challenge (from 7 to 12 years old). The route is about 1 km around the Pont d’Avignon.
At the end of the race, a podium, as at the Games, will take place with a prize giving by the bronze medalist in kayak slalom at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Benjamin Boukpeti. The day will be punctuated by musical entertainment.
Free rental of canoes, paddles and kayaks
From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., the club then provides kayaks, canoes and paddles for everyone free of charge on the island of Barthelasse. At 3 p.m., the club organizes an open table around the following question: “What if sport meant always better inclusion?”.
Autour de la table will present Benjamin Boukpeti, Zineb Haddaoui, elected to the sport of the city of Avignon, or even Étienne Klatt, world champion in downhill canoeing in 2021.
The idea is to be able to introduce an Olympic discipline to as many people as possible within the framework of the national Terres de jeux 2024 label. Eighty volunteers are mobilized for this event.