The Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre (''Ολυμπιακό Κωπηλατοδρόμιο Σχοινιά'') was built to host the
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically at ...
and
canoe sprint
Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race canoes or kayaks on calm water.
Overview
Race categories vary by the number of athletes in the boat, the length of the course, and whether the boat is a canoe or kayak. Canoe sprints are s ...
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...
.
It is the most northerly venue of the 2004 Games situated to the east of the town of
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair di ...
. It covers 1.24 km² and has a spectator capacity of 14,000. It is a part of Schinias National Park.
Although not fully completed until January 31, 2004, it held its first successful competition, the
World Rowing Junior Championships
The World Rowing Junior Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). A rower or coxswain shall be classified as a Junior until 31 December of the year in which he reaches the age of ...
, in August 2003. During these championships, many boats became waterlogged due to gale-force winds and the resulting water conditions. Most of the final rounds were raced over a shortened course to avoid worse water in the second half of the 2 km lake.
During construction there was controversy over environmental destruction as wetlands were remodelled for its construction.
The centre is one of only three
FISA
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and the collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign pow ...
-approved training centers in the world, the others being in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
and
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsul ...
. It hosts domestic rowing and canoeing meetings, and has hosted the
2008 European Rowing Championships
The 2008 European Rowing Championships were held at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre, Marathon, Greece, between 16 and 20 September 2008. They were the 2nd annual event after the decision made in May 2006 by the FISA to re-establi ...
in September 2008. After the 2004 Olympics, the facility was completely reconstructed by the German company
Hochtief
Hochtief AG is a German construction company based in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.Canoe Sprint World Cup