Zuzana Trojáková | Co edit: Lou Lockhart | Sportscene - The critical flooding situation in the Czech Republic endangers the entire country and also seriously affects the venue of this year´s ICF Canoe Slalom World championship in Prague – Troja (11-15 Sept).

Only 3 months before the beginning of the championships, the organizers must now battle the flood which has demolished the whole slalom course and the facilities within the area.

“We have just moved the equipment from the basement of the boathouse to the second floor. The slalom course is all under water,” describes the director of the local organization in Prague, Jiri Rohan. The big question is what will happen next with the flooding. Nobody can predict it and everybody has fresh memories of the flooding in 2002, when the situation was very critical with more than 5500 cubic meters flow rate. Now it is approximately 2000. “At the moment, there is damage to the tribunes, poles, ropes, gates and to both bridges above the channel.”

The Transportation Company of Prague has started to close particular metro stations. Fortunately, this has happened when most of the competitors have left to go to Krakow for the upcoming European canoe slalom championships next weekend (June 6-8).  But the real fight for the world championships starts now on the Vltava River. The reconstructed slalom course in Prague – Troja was just opened after the part reconstruction of the bottom and the change of gates in November 2012. The next stage of reconstruction works was planned for 2013.

“Now, it is all about how high the water will rise. In the boathouse, the basement is already under water. We all hope that the water will not climb up to the first floor,” added the local organizer Jiri Rohan.

“Prognosis is very bad. We will wait until the Vltava cascade is open and then we will see how much it will rise. I don’t think it will be like it was in 2002, but unfortunately it will be very similar to it. The crucial factor is when the rain stops.”

More pictures from the flooding.