The Ocoee River Hosted 1996 Olympics Whitewater Competition

July 23, 2018

Ocoee Whitewater Center

1996 Olympics Whitewater Competition Channel

The location of Ocoee Whitewater Center is just a few miles west of Ocoee Adventure Center. This whitewater center was built to host the whitewater slalom events of the 1996 Olympic games. During construction of the whitewater park one quarter mile of river bed was modified. The designers and engineers narrowed the Upper Ocoee’s riverbed from 200 feet to 70 feet in width. As a result, the constricted channel causes the water in the river to increase in speed and power.

Engineering Olympic Whitewater

Rocks are precisely placed and cemented in place to make this a world class slalom course. TVA currently adds a few hundred cfs to the Olympic level to improve rafting on this section of river. CFS stands for cubic feet per second. These changes to the river created the steepest and highest volume Olympic whitewater venue ever used. To this day it also retains the honor of being the only in-river whitewater course used for the Olympic games.

Blue Hole

Nowadays the whitewater center has been turned into a visitor center. The operating months run April to October. The center offers many attractions including snorkeling and swimming on the weekdays. Watch our video to see some of the “Swiss Cheese” one of our guides swam through. The whitewater center is also is home to miles of historic hiking and biking trails. Along the way you will find picnic areas and pavilions. On weekends Its one of the best places in the area to come relax and watch the endless rafts and kayak’s brave the Olympic whitewater course.