Tacen Whitewater Course

The Tacen Whitewater Course is a venue for canoe and kayak slalom competition in Tacen, Slovenia, a suburb of Ljubljana. Located on the Sava River, eight kilometers northwest of the city center, it is known locally as Kayak Canoe Club Tacen (Slovene: Kajak kanu klub Tacen). The course played an important role in development of the sport during the past six decades. In 1939, when its first competition was held, it was a natural rapid at the base of a dam in the Sava River. In 1990, after many upgrades, it was given a concrete channel and the features of a modern Olympic-style slalom course.^[1] The course now starts in the lake behind the dam, and the spillway is the first drop. Tacen hosts a major international competition almost every year, examples being the 1955, the 1991, and the 2010 Championships.

Spillway drop of the Tacen Whitewater Course

Looking down on the spillway drop from the covered bridge

Tacen Whitewater Slalom Course

About
Locale	Ljubljana, Slovenia
Managing agent	Tacen Kayak Canoe Club
Main shape	Linear
Adjustable	No
Water source	Sava River
Pumped	No
Flow diversion	Yes
Grandstands	Concrete bleachers
Canoe lift	No
Facilities	Yes
Construction	1990
Stats
Length	275 metres (902 ft)
Tacen Kayak Canoe Club

Venue

Map of Tacen Whitewater Course north of Ljubljana, Slovenia

The engineered part of the course is only 170 meters long. To increase its length to 275 meters, the course was extended upstream into the lake behind the dam and downstream into the natural flow of the Sava River. The upstream extension meant that each paddler had to begin the race with about an 8-second flatwater sprint and reach the top of the spillway at maximum speed. That plus the usual upstream gate at the bottom of the spillway make for a challenging start, unlike that of any other venue in the international competition circuit. The start was later moved closer to the spillway to remove the flatwater sprint.

Slalom gates for semi-finals and finals of 2014 World Cup #2, June 14–15. No single-pole gates.

Slalom gates for heats of 2014 World Cup #2, June 13. No single-pole gates.

2023 floods

The facility sustained major damage in the floods that occurred in early August of 2023. Much of the infrastructure was completely destroyed or washed away.^[2][3]