Excitement is building in Barcelona ahead of next month’s Youth Olympic Games canoe qualifiers, which will be contested at the same venue where the canoe sprint competition was held during the 1992 Olympics.

This week officials from the organising committee, the hosts, the Spanish Federation of Canoeing, and the Argentine Government gathered at the venue to look over preparations.

Here is a snapshot of what their thoughts on the upcoming event.

Arseni da Palma , director of the competition and the Canal Olímpico de Catalunya, stressed that "for us it is the first step to restore the Olympic Canal of Catalonia on the international stage." For the last two years we have worked together with the General Secretariat of Sport and the International Federation to adapt to the new demands and have the channel ready to receive level competitions. I want to emphasize that a part of the investment made in infrastructures has served to renew some equipment that was still in 1992. "

Fernando Cerpa, Councillor for Sports, Youth and Senior Citizens of Castelldefels, wished success in the competition and explained that "Castelldefels is a city that lives sport with passion, and together with the Olympic Canal we have worked to achieve maximum diffusion among our and to help bring public to the stands of the Olympic Canal of Catalonia. In this sense we have taken care to get all the information to the schools and be proactive with our local information media.”

Juan José Román Mangas, president of the Spanish Federation of Canoeing, has recognized that during the Olympic Games of Youth the future Olympic champions will participate. At the Spanish level, he stated that "it is difficult to know if in the future the successes of the Spanish canoeing team - three gold medals, one bronze and four diplomas at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro - will be able to continue. It is always uncertain to know what the future holds. From the Spanish federation we work with great consistency and insistence to train young people and meet their needs. The figures that our sport has generated such as Saul Craviotto and Maialen Chourraut are the best example for our young canoeists."

Héctor Félix Romero, Deputy Consul of the Consulate General of the Argentine Republic in Barcelona, ​​has presented the competition of the Youth Games to be held in Buenos Aires. In this regard, he stressed that "it is the third Youth Olympic Games, the first outside of Asia, and the commitment of Argentina, beyond the city, with the International Olympic Committee is total to achieve success. The area of ​​Buenos Aires that has been remodelled thanks to the Olympic Village and the Olympic Park, and other sports facilities are also used, in the case of canoeing, in particular, the tests will be carried out in Puerto Madero, a very nice place in the city."

Maite Fandos, deputy of Sports of the Diputación de Barcelona, ​​has stressed that "in this international event we are collaborating the three administrations, which is how you should work. The council wants to support the municipalities and help to internationalize the municipalities through this event. This case is a clear example of how to help give international visibility to Castelldefels with a canoe test of international level.”

Gerard Figueras, Secretary General of l'Esport, concluded the ceremony and acknowledged that "we would like to turn the Olympic Canal of Catalonia into a high-performance canoeing center." In Catalonia, there are seven technification centers of different sports, and we would like to transform this facility into another space of this type, recognized by the Generalitat and the Superior Council of Sports, which was a factory of champions in the field of canoeing."

About the competition, he highlighted that "the Generalitat has made an important investment effort, around half a million euros, and we do not want the Olympic Youth Games qualifier to be an isolated competition.”

The competition itself will take place from April 12 to 15 , but from April 6 will begin free practice for the various delegations.