Navigating the streets of Foix beneath the castle that overlooks the medieval French town, kayaks can be found propped up against walls, lampposts and trees.
Two boats are placed upright along Avenue Du General De Gaulle and another is positioned by the bridge over the Arget river.
A further boat featuring the coat of arms of Foix is leaning against a tree, while a statue of a kayaker sitting above a flower bed has become a new landmark when entering the town centre.
From posters of top French paddlers adorning the walls of buildings to little model kayaks and paddling books appearing in shop windows, it’s clear how much Foix has embraced the sport and the staging of this year’s International Canoe Federation Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships.
Paul Cornut-Chauvinc, head coach of Foix Canoe Kayak Whitewater Club, said he had been inundated with requests to help celebrate the hosting of the World Championships.
“The town really loves it,” said Cornut-Chauvinc.
“They're coming to us asking us to have a paddle or a boat so they can expose it in their boutique.”
Located in the foothills of the Pyrenees, the Foix Canoe Kayak Whitewater Club is part of a sporting complex featuring tennis and padel courts and a football ground home to FC Foix.
The section of the Ariege river used by the club offers a perfect playspot for slalom paddlers to refine their skills and test themselves in a natural environment.
It showcases and underlines the beauty of paddling in the great outdoors as athletes make best use of what nature provides.
Foix last staged the ICF Junior Canoe Slalom World Championships in 2010 when the likes of Australia’s Jessica Fox, Italy’s Giovanni De Gennaro and Czechia’s Jiri Prskavec made their name before going on to become Olympic champions.
With artificial courses prominent on the international circuit, Foix gave paddlers the chance to deepen their connection with nature as they enjoyed the river flow.
Cornut-Chauvinc reckoned a large majority of paddlers had never had the experience of competing on a natural river before.
“This generation competes on artificial courses,” said Cornut-Chauvinc.
“They don't paddle in a real river.
“It’s really important to go back to the natural roots.”
France’s Olympic silver medallist Titouan Castryck enjoyed a great week in Foix, winning kayak gold and kayak cross silver.
The 20-year-old Frenchman said he relished the challenges presented by a natural course.
“I don’t think I’ve raced on a natural river for such a long time,” said Castryck.
“It’s really refreshing after so many races on artificial.
“It feels good to know that you're good with different kinds of style, so I'm really happy about that.”
For Great Britain’s Sam Leaver and Slovakia’s Zuzana Pankova, racing in Foix brought back memories of paddling when they were growing up.
“It’s different but I am used it,” said Leaver who stormed to the men’s kayak cross individual U23 crown.
“I grew up living in Scotland so most of what we had were natural rivers.
“We only got an artificial place when I was older.
“So I am used to spotting the rocks and spotting the lines, judging where the current is.
“It helped me as I was spotting nice lines.
“I like the natural river, it’s different.
“To come to places like this, it tests a different skillset, and it puts on a nice show so it would be great to see it moving forward as well.”
Pankova, who won the women’s kayak cross individual U23 title, added: “I absolutely love rivers. I grew up on rivers. #
“I love the feels you get from the flow.
“There is a lot of paddling which I like, no big stoppers.
“You just have to be with the river and go with it. It’s natural and I like it.
“The sport started on the rivers so it’s nice to compete on the rivers.”
The water level has presented challenges for the French organisers, but they managed to ensure a consistent flow for paddlers thanks to the dam controlled by EDF.
“It was a very big challenge, but now it’s the end I think athletes, staff and volunteers are all happy,” said Cornut-Chauvinc.
“During the preparation, we had a lot of problems, but the town, club and the French Canoe Federation helped us to have these results.”
After 2010, Foix had to wait 15 years before it held another major ICF event.
Cornut-Chauvinc hopes Foix will not have to wait that long again to stage a top competition after holding a successful World Championships.
“We very want to continue in this way,” said Cornut-Chauvinc.
“People in the town want to see more big competitions.
“Foix wants to become a big town of kayaking.
“If the ICF wants to go in a natural stadium, we are here to answer this."
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