As well as staging the canoeing competitions should Boston be elected as the 2024 host city by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the area will also be turned into a national canoe, kayak, and slalom training centre.

It is claimed the facility will be sustainable and will help Boston 2024 establish a legacy for the Games should they be chosen.

Boston 2024 will now work with experts in the sport in order to plan the best locations for the events.

They claim the river’s dam-controlled water flow provides ideal conditions for whitewater canoeing, rafting and kayaking and the venue is visited by over 150,000 paddlers every year.

“Our vision for the Olympic and Paralympic Games utilises existing resources throughout Boston and the state,” Boston 2024 chief executive Rich Davey said.

“The Deerfield River provides a naturally challenging course for the world’s best canoe slalom athletes. We have an opportunity to leave behind a world-class training facility that will attract even more kayakers, rafters and paddlers to the region beyond the Games.”  

The announcement comes as Boston 2024 continue to reveal elements of its Games Concept, including plans to use TD Garden, home of American basketball giants the Boston Celtics, as the venue for Olympic and Paralympic gymnastic and basketball events.

They also recently confirmed Squantum Point Park will stage the beach volleyball competitions after the original idea to utilise Boston Common provoked heavy criticism.

The decision to use the Deerfield River comes as part of Boston 2024’s plan to change public perception as the bid has suffered a decline in support since it was chosen as the United States Olympic Committee’s preferred candidate ahead of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C. in January.

Concerns were raised by the city’s residents over the use of taxpayer’s funds when it had been promised that only private sector money would be utilised and the bid has come under intense scrutiny as a result.

Boston will go up against Rome, Hamburg and Paris, with a bid from the Hungarian capital of Budapest appearing increasingly likely, in their attempt to secure the 2024 Games.

The IOC is due to elect the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games host city at its session in the Peruvian capital Lima in 2017.

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