Local association Ivan Patzaichin-Mila 23 has identified a land plot on which it plans to build the first ecological Olympic channel for canoeing in Romania.

The land plot covers 100 hectares, and the association already took the first steps to clarify the legal status of this piece of land, said Teodor Frolu, a representative of the Ivan Patzaichin-Mila 23 Association, reports local Agerpres.

“For now, it is difficult to offer a financial solution, but it would be good if the feasibility study for this Olympic channel were achieved through the Integrated Territorial Investment-Danube Delta financial instrument,” he said.

The plot is located near the Danube and belongs to the State Domain Agency, which is subordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture. The association will have the Youth and Sports Ministry’s support in the implementation of the project, according to Frolu.

“The internationally certified channel will be an attraction due to its proximity to the Danube Delta. It would provide a space for a canoe museum, as well as infrastructure for a triathlon, and it would also be a strategic investment for the Delta in the off-season,” said the association’s representative.

“Overall, it will be a multi-impact project, an integrated project.”

The Ivan Patzaichin-Mila 23 Association was established at the initiative of Romanian rowing Olympic champion Ivan Patzaichin. It aims to encourage slow, eco-friendly tourism, promoting tourism products, social entrepreneurship projects, rowing promotion campaigns, and sustainable development programs in protected natural areas, especially in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com