Got this news from Cameron McIntosh via the tangent. He says:
\"
Dear friends
Today has been the biggest day of my paddling career. I have just walked out of a meeting with the Premier of the Free State, the MEC Sport and the MEC Tourism. I presented to them the effect that the construction of a Man-Made White-water stadium on the Ash river could have. I explained the benefits for Tourism, Rafting, Rodeo, Slalom, Marathon, White-water and other sports a stadium has. I spoke about the long-term sustainability and job creation. I spoke about funding and construction. I spoke about environmental impact, conservation and Marketing. I spoke about genuine sports development.
The final outcome was 100% support. It makes every ounce of persistent effort so worth it. We should have the canal completed by the end of this year and the centre of excellence and surroundings done by the middle of next year..
I’m thrilled beyond words
Cameron
\"

Things are looking good for South African paddling! When we know more and have any further information we will post it here. Let's see what happens. Sure we will have a few holes/waves that will flow year 365 days 24/7. The Ash already flows all the time as part of the Lesotho Highlands water project.

WooHoo!!!!!!!
Its about time as well, they've been talking about doing it since 2002. One thing we must do as playboaters is make sure they make an adequate wave and not just holes.
But man, i am excited for it.

scottyr wrote:

WooHoo!!!!!!!
Its about time as well, they've been talking about doing it since 2002. One thing we must do as playboaters is make sure they make an adequate wave and not just holes.
But man, i am excited for it.

For sure:!: I'm also pretty stoked about that. Perhaps we can finally improve our playboating on something more constant that the other rain dependant rivers

For what its worth...

Here in New Zealand they built a white water course by cutting a canal connecting two bits of the river that flowed in a horse shoe shape. At the top they built a huge gate that could be closed so that work could be done on the course (changing features, repairs etc). All this was funded by a power company (in mitigation of having messed up a perfectly good river) and they must have spent close to N$1 000 000 constructing the canal and paying for all the concrete that was required. If you dont use concrete the water will simply erode away underneath any obstacles in the river bed.
Also once the gate was opened it quickly became obvious that the canal could only absorb so much flow (from memory I think 20 cumecs) before self destructing.
Now the Tekapo course is fully functional and has a great play wave and slalom course but unfortunately is only opened 4-6 days a year (part of the mitigation agreement).

Good luck with your course. Look forward to paddling it one day.

Jurgen wrote:

For what its worth...

Here in New Zealand they built a white water course by cutting a canal connecting two bits of the river that flowed in a horse shoe shape. At the top they built a huge gate that could be closed so that work could be done on the course (changing features, repairs etc). All this was funded by a power company (in mitigation of having messed up a perfectly good river) and they must have spent close to N$1 000 000 constructing the canal and paying for all the concrete that was required. If you dont use concrete the water will simply erode away underneath any obstacles in the river bed.
Also once the gate was opened it quickly became obvious that the canal could only absorb so much flow (from memory I think 20 cumecs) before self destructing.
Now the Tekapo course is fully functional and has a great play wave and slalom course but unfortunately is only opened 4-6 days a year (part of the mitigation agreement).

Good luck with your course. Look forward to paddling it one day.

More info on the Tekapo course in NZ here:
playak.com/article.php?sid=394

Just got an interesting update. It's official, we are indeed getting the first artificial whitewater course in Africa. Yipee!!!! I really hope they don't make it too expensive and make a proper play hole and a decent play wave too!!! It says:

Africa’s 1st White-Water Stadium to be built

The Ash River in the Eastern Free State will be the venue for the only White-Water Stadium in Africa. This has been the firm conclusion by a number of parties who have been presented with the effect that such a project could have on South Africa. Dr Cameron McIntosh, 8 times SA Slalom Kayak Champion, with more than a decade of International competition is the brainchild behind the project. He has in the past month met with the Premier of the Free State Me Marshoff, The MEC for Sport-Mr Masithela, The MEC for Tourism-Me Mnumzane, The Office of the National Ministers of Sport as well as Water Affairs, The Chairman of the NLDTF and the CEO of Free State Sport-Mr Segwaba. The unanimous decision is that of constructing the stadium worth around R 15 Million.

In 2006 the project was kick-started by an injection of R 200 000 from the Dihlabeng Municipality. This saw the building of a flat-water course at the Bohlokong Township as well as acquiring of equipment and the formation of the Dihlabeng Slalom Club.

With the backing of the Free State and National government a steering committee has been formed consisting of CEO of Free State Sport, Mr Jeri Segwaba, Dihlabeng Slalom Club Development Officer, Dr McIntosh and Dihlabeng Local Municipality LED, Thandi Hadebe. This committee will oversee the next two Phases of the project.

Phase 2 of the project, to be completed in the next month, will be the initial design of the man-made canal including an EIA, Architectural drawings, landscaping and legal documentation. Heading up the design is the world renowned white-water engineering expert Ramon Ganyet from Spain. His team will include a number of local engineers and designers.

Phase 3 will be the construction of the venue as well as job training for the many people who will be employed to run the Stadium. The venue is located close to Bethlehem with easy access from the main tar road that links Clarens and Bethlehem. The main areas of importance will be a rafting company, coffee shop, education centre, sports excellence centre, accommodation units and a shop.

The SANWC will host numerous International Sporting events in the coming years with the goal being the 2013 Slalom World Championships.

For more information go to www.amadonsadonsa.com

I really hope they don't make it too expensive and make a proper play hole and a decent play wave too!!!

I've been in coms with Celliers and i've sent a proposal to Cameron, we're trying to get a bad ass wave - something like the M wave in Colorado or like the shifting wave at the course in Maryland. We'll just have to wait and see.

scottyr wrote:

I've been in coms with Celliers and i've sent a proposal to Cameron, we're trying to get a bad ass wave - something like the M wave in Colorado or like the shifting wave at the course in Maryland. We'll just have to wait and see.

Sounds good. I guess we'll just have to wait and see... Let's pray for a nice fast wave AND a nice fat hole.

Seems like the project is happening very quickly. Let's see how that all works out. I've been 3 times now already past the construction site on the Ash. Every time there is more and more change. They are moving it! The channel goes off at the rapid above the grade 5 drop and on river right. They say it will end below the 2 metre drop. So far it looks about 4 to 5 metres wide and deeper than that! It is maybe 100 metres or more long at present and would be far longer to reach the lekker 2 metre. Pretty interesting. Patience my dear Watson hehehehe

What happened to the course plans now that Cameron has resigned, anybody knows?

Quote from last team amadonsadonsa diaries : ''Resignation
I had the privilege and honour of being involved in the South African
canoeing scene for 20 years. Taking part at the Olympics was the cherry on
the top of the cake however I have decided to resign completely from all my
involvement in paddling as the Board of CSA and I do not share a common
vision. Perhaps one day it will all be revived and a dedicated High
Performance Centre for ³Olympic Paddle Sports² will be built but for now
there is no place for me. I wish CSA all the very best for all their
endeavours and the continual growth of paddling in South Africa. I have a
massive new challenge of specialising further in my medical career that will
take most of my time and energy.''

I hate to be negative but I gave up on that long ago, long before Cameron left the scene. They made that channel very deep, narrow and straight leading into the new power station with zero intention of creating a course there. Have you seen the man made seive entering it? Nice death trap for anybody who is not careful... Perhaps their vision of a slalom course etc. is throwing up a few lines across that rapid below the sloping weir on the last section. Not much gradient elsewhere for something quality. Oh well. Hopefully I'll get to eat my words. But for now I still believe it's just a pipe dream.

Ai! Who would want to waste money on paddling anyway, they have soccer stadiums to build...

Eish, let's not even go there...

Hey guys le me try clear up some of the apparent confusion surrounding the artifical slalom course. Firstly the chanel adrian is talking about is not the course and was never intended as such this is a hydro electric sheme under construction by the trans caledon tunel assosiation (TCTA) and a duthc hydro electric company. initally tcta were going to pay to build a artifical course due to the fact that they are destroying a section of river. however when they saw the costs they quickly pulled out. next cameron managed to by a farm upstream of the hydro electric plant intending specifically to build a slalom course there along with chalets camping etc. this would have pulled in foreign athletes coming to train in there winter this would have helped keep the course costs down. the plan was to cut a chanel away from the river and divert the flow down this chanel. the play wave was intended for after the course with carious holes and dropps in the main course. the course was in the design phase awating final conformation of funds from the lotto and the ministry of sport (to there credit they have already put money into slalom founding a development club in bethlehem). This is where things seem to have gone wrong. In lee of cameron and his fellow amadonsa-donsa team mates olympic debut cameron had a bust up with Canoeing South Africa (CSA) this resulted in him resigning from what ever position he held (im not sure what this position was but it wasnt in CSA). The slalom course was designed as a private scheme and did not rely on CSA howevere it did need CSA's approvel to get the required funds. Since Camerons resignation he seems to have decided to follow a carer in plastic surgery. So there you have it although this was probably the most ideal site for a slalom course in the country due to the fact that one did not have to pump water to the course which is vastly expensive and the proposals set forward by cameron did look viable it will probably never happen however the seeds have been sown so we might be in luck yet. but i wouldnt hold your breath.