Penrith Whitewater Stadium
The Penrith Whitewater Stadium is an artificial whitewater sporting facility located in Penrith at the foothills of the Blue Mountains and the Nepean River in Sydney's west, built to host the canoe/kayak slalom events at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The venue is adjacent to the Sydney International Regatta Centre which hosted the Olympic rowing. One of only a few man-made rivers of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, the course is in the shape of a large 'U', 320 metres in length, between 0.8 and 1.2 metres deep and between 8 and 12 metres wide. The overall drop from top to bottom is 5.5 metres. A conveyor belt is used during events to take boats from the finishing pool back to the start. Temporary grandstands are erected for major events to boost capacity for spectators (it held 12,500 during the Sydney Olympics). The venue hosted the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in 2005 and will again host the World Championships in 2025.
