The floods have hit several clubs hard, which are striving to return to normality as quickly as possible while receiving solidarity from all corners of Spain.
The DANA (High Level Depression) suddenly changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Valencians. The floods devastated towns, cost lives and caused enormous property damage. The world of sport in the affected areas has also suffered a severe blow: Football fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, padel courts, sports halls… everything has been devastated. Other disciplines have also been seriously affected, not only due to the flooding of their headquarters, but also due to the alteration of the environment in which they practice. This is the case of canoeing, a sport that has been hit hard, but which has also seen incredible solidarity from other clubs and even from Saúl Craviotto, double Olympic champion, quadruple world champion and triple champion of Europe.
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Clean-up efforts, training difficulties, material losses and search operations are some of the factors shaping an uncertain short-term future for affected clubs. Algemesí suffered the most damage. The Ribera Club lost its vehicles and the Scooter Club was completely engulfed by flood waters, coming from the Río Magro, with waters covering the club shed and reaching over six feet in the gym , causing corrosion of all devices intended for the physical preparation of athletes.
After several days of cleaning up the town, the club’s paddlers gathered to begin the cleanup efforts, aided by one who has a shovel to remove the reeds. With no institutional support – just athletes and volunteers – they managed to clear almost the entire club and surrounding area. Losses, especially in areas such as the gym and vehicles, both private and club, will require economic assistance to return to normal activity.
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Property damage is only part of the problem…but river conditions will also prolong the return to usual training. The Algemesí club’s plan is to return to training this weekend, but doubts remain over whether the river will allow it. Meanwhile, at the Silla Canoe Club, which suffered less material damage – although there is a risk of rusting of the gym equipment because the waters rose two palms – Cayetano Sánchez noted that they had no forecast as to when they would be able to train in their usual area since the canal leading to Albufera is completely blocked by a sort of “iceberg” of reeds, which cannot be cleared until the search for the missing people is not finished. Faced with this situation, the club will relocate to Antella this weekend to train and remain competitive for regional tournaments in early 2025.
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The response from the canoe community to support their Valencian counterparts has been overwhelmingly positive. Clubs across Spain have offered canoes to help restart activities, and even offered their training facilities to keep the momentum going. In addition, the renowned Saúl Craviotto, one of the greatest Olympic athletes in the history of this country, contacted Carlos Moreno of the Scooter Club of Algemesí to offer five canoes.
Regarding the assistance, Paloma Cinto, president of the Valencian Canoe Federation, stressed to Superdeporte that the General Directorate of Sports will assess the damage and provide aid to the affected clubs, while highlighting the solidarity coming from all corners of Spain to “row” in the same direction.
