Olympic Basin
The Olympic Basin was the venue for the rowing and canoeing competitions at the Montreal Games and has since become an integral part of the city’s sporting infrastructure.
Situated in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, on the manmade Notre Dame Island, the Basin is used by several local clubs offering activities for beginners and high-performance training. It also serves as the Para Canoe National Training Centre and has staged many major events over the years, including the annual Montreal International Dragon Boat Race Festival.
Built as a permanent facility in response to a lack of competitive rowing and canoeing facilities in the Montreal region, it was little used in the years immediately after the Games. By 1984, however, it was hosting the FISA World Rowing Championships for the first of two times, followed by the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships two years later.
Extensively renovated in recent years, the Basin lies next to a park and lake with a public beach, making it an attractive leisure destination for local people. It also flanks the long Casino Straight of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the venue for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.