The world-class kayak-kenu centre is nearing completion

After nearly two years of preparation, the first stainless steel components of the counter-current pool arrived at the Katalin Kovács National Kayak and Canoe Academy in Sukoró at the end of January. This German-developed facility is virtually unique in the world in that it ensures that Hungarian athletes can train and develop at competition speed and under competition conditions regardless of the season or weather. The 97,000-square-metre sports centre has been under construction since November 2021 on the shores of Lake Velence, built by WHB. In addition to preparing competitors and training the next generation, it will also provide sports facilities for schools in the area.

The buildings in the sports centre have a useful floor area of around 27,000 square metres. The main building alone covers more than 19,000 square metres, including the swimming and sports halls, a 400-seat kitchen, restaurant, conference room, medical diagnostic laboratory, accommodation buildings and offices.

Cutting-edge technology to help you prepare

The contract for the production and construction of the counter-flow pool in question was signed in April 2023 in Sukoro by the management of WHB and the German Technisches Zentrum (TZ). WHB carefully prepared a separate designated part of the boathouse to receive the elements of the special steel pool, so that after an on-site inspection by German experts, the assembly and on-site concreting of the pool could start in February this year.

The unique architectural solutions of the WEST HUNGÁRIA BAU Kft. specialists will allow the technological equipment for the preparation of the athletes to be installed in a separate part of the boathouse.

The special pool can generate an artificial water current of up to 6m/s, which not only creates competition conditions for athletes during training, but also allows them to perform stress tests at any time during their training. Sukoro not only offers academic training in kayaking and canoeing, but also carries out significant sport diagnostic development work.

In addition to the counter-current swimming pool, the nearly 6,000 square metre complex will include a measuring centre, a rowing course and a 745 square metre boat storage area.

The boathouse is watertight, interior works are underway. The early handover has enabled the Academy to store its fleet of boats in the first rafters this winter. The structural work on the destination tower buildings has also been completed, and the masonry and waterproofing are currently being worked on.

One of our most successful Olympic sports gets a world-class training centre

The Hungarians have always performed outstandingly at the world kayak canoeing competitions.

After fencers, the most Olympic medals, 86 in total, were won by our athletes competing in these disciplines for our country.

A world-class training centre is being built in Sukoro, bearing the name of three-time Olympic champion and 31-time world champion kayaker Katalin Kovács. In addition to an academic training base, a methodological centre will be set up on the shores of Lake Venice. It was recently announced that the World University Kayaking Championships will be held here in 2026.

We report on the realisation of the academy from the moment when the investor Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium awarded the design and general construction tasks to the best bidder in the public procurement, WEST HUNGÁRIA BAU Kft., and the foundation stone of the academy was laid in November 2021.

Construction work on the (almost) 19 thousand square metre main building is nearing completion

According to our information, construction work on the main building and event venue will reach its final stage in the spring of 2024. The main building, including the back rooms, is almost complete. The lobby is a high-ceilinged space with a spectacular laminated, glued wooden roof structure resting on 80-centimetre-diameter circular pillars and 50×70-centimetre pillars. The structural work for this large-scale project is being carried out by Épszerk-Pannónia Invest Kft. (ÉPI) and Sankó-ÉP Kft. as subcontractors.

The lobby will house the reception, buffet and service areas. The latter are arranged on two levels, surrounded by a "cocoon" with curved wood panelling of varying radius. On the side walls of the interior, the installation of glass artwork will shortly begin, on the sliced brick wall cladding.

Cleaning up the environment can begin

In the conference and kitchen areas of the building, in addition to the interior wall cladding, special suspended ceilings have been installed. Here, too, the contractor is using the BauApp document management software to carry out error analysis. Work on the offices and the water blocks is also nearing completion.

The finishing touches are being put on the exterior of the main building, the scaffolding has been removed and the final landscaping of the grounds, pavements, planting and parking areas has begun.

The starting stones have already been placed in the swimming pool

The sports hall of the complex was completed in December with a parquet flooring surface that can be used for basketball, volleyball and handball, while the hall also has a 210-seat mobile grandstand. The 50-metre, ten-lane competition pool and the 15-metre training pool have been covered and the mechanical work has been completed, and the starting stones have been installed. In addition to the 260-seat grandstand, the swimming pool also has changing rooms and a wellness area. The latter is also at a high level of completion.

Special rooms have been built to create a high performance training environment

The ground floor walkways connecting the building volumes are connected by an internal garden atrium, community and club rooms, and classrooms, which further enrich the functional offer of the building. In the so-called Cloisters part of the building, the professional works have been completed and the internal atrium garden is currently being developed.

The two-storey dormitory and apartment wings of the main building will house around 66 dormitory rooms for young talents, 5 of which will be fully accessible and 10 of which will be suitable for wheelchair athletes. Heating has been completed and installed in the accommodation building and the rooms are currently being furnished.

The so-called 8db Hypoxico high-altitude rooms are fully completed. High altitude air simulation technology equipment was installed on behalf of Hypoxico. The method is to create environmental conditions as if the athletes were training in high mountains in a lower oxygen environment. Training and recovery in high altitude air increases the body's uptake and transport of oxygen and thus improves the athletes' physical performance.

Construction of outdoor sports fields has also started

Intensive work is also underway in the area between the buildings. Tens of thousands of square metres have been covered with utilities, ballast and paving. Some 137,000 square metres of landscaping and planting will be followed by a number of sports fields, including artificial turf football pitches, rubber-covered running and basketball courts, recortan fitness parks and intermittent indoor tennis courts. The project will also include the construction of a spacious indoor car park with 254 spaces and an outdoor car park with 230 spaces, as well as associated roads. The academy should be fully completed by the second half of this year.