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Event PUBLIC SPACES 12 Oct 2023

With RCF Gracing the Race Course at the World Canoe Championships in Duisburg

In August, Duisburg became the epicenter of the canoeing world during the 2023 World Canoe Championships. A staggering 42 world championship titles were up for grabs at the 2023 Canoe Sprint and Para-Canoe World Championships. Over 2000 athletes from 91 nations vied for the titles, not to mention the qualification slots for the forthcoming Olympics and Paralympics in Paris next year.

The renowned Duisburg regatta course played host to the event, a venue celebrated globally amongst canoeists and rowers alike. Since its inception nearly 90 years ago, it has been the stage for international competitions, as well as serving as a training ground for the German national team in preparation for the Olympic Games.

Accommodating up to 2,000 spectators in the finishing grandstand of the two-kilometer regatta course, and with additional standing areas around the grandstand and the venue grounds, as many as 8,000 spectators could immerse themselves in the competition. This setup fostered a true stadium ambiance, with Lichtschall ensuring the thrilling and captivating race atmosphere was amplified acoustically, utilizing RCF's state-of-the-art audio technology.

Lichtschall GmbH, under the representation of Bernd Schröder, supplied the audio technology, leveraging RCF line arrays and subwoofers for the event. The equipment was strategically positioned in the finish area to enhance the sound dynamics of the finishing grandstand.

"We have been staunch advocates of RCF products for many years," expressed Bernd Schröder, the Managing Director of Lichtschall GmbH, during the production. "The primary objective while orchestrating the audio for the World Canoe Championships was to facilitate optimal speech clarity, enabling the audience to hear the stadium announcers clearly. Additionally, it was imperative that the music energized the crowd, a requirement met splendidly by the sound system. It was equally crucial to minimize any disturbance to the athletes on the course."

To allow spectators to be acoustically close to the action, Schröder and his team installed pairs of 3x HDL 26-A and a SUB 9004-AS subwoofer along a 150-metre stretch directed towards the stands. These line array units were stacked atop the subwoofers, establishing eight sound reinforcement positions in total. The RCF's proprietary RDNet tool was employed for control, granting access to all vital system parameters.
For further details on Lichtschall GmbH, visit www.lichtschall.de

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