Sad news: the site of the canoe-kayak slalom competitions at the 1996 Atlanta Games was completely destroyed by fire on Tuesday April 26. The fire reduced to ashes the building and equipment of the Ocoee Whitewater Center, an Olympic complex built in Tennessee for the Olympic Games around a natural river. It had been modified for the needs of competitions, to meet international standards, ultimately offering a unique blend of natural elements and artificial structures. Four slalom events were on the program for the 1996 Atlanta Games. The Ocoee Whitewater Center had been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was scheduled to reopen to the public next month. Having become a leisure site, it welcomed on average around 300.000 visitors per year. An investigation should be opened by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to determine the origin of the disaster.
