The Olympics came early to Broxbourne with a test event for the games taking place at the Lee Valley White Water Centre.
The centre, in the Lee Valley Regional Park, shut for three weeks in July for the event.
Around 175 international athletes took part in the Olympic Canoe Slalom Test event, which was closed to the public.
More than 100 lucky schoolchildren from Hertfordshire and Essex were invited to attend the competition, where 30 nations competed against each other.
The test event is vital for testing operational aspects of the venue ahead of next year’s Games. Around 136 team staff joined the competitors from countries such as China, Lebanon, Belgium, Senegal and Thailand.
The Centre will host the Canoe Slalom events during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.
The Lee Valley White Water Centre is the only new London 2012 venue open to the public ahead of the 2012 games. It will be a major centre for white water rafting as well as canoeing and kayaking both before and after the Games
The centre is owned, managed and funded by the Lee Valley Regional Park. It is a world-class venue for elite athletes but also has facilities for beginners and intermediate canoeists.
The centre has a 300m long competition course with up to a 5.5m descent. Around 12,000 temporary seats will be put in for the London 2012 Games. It is anticipated that up to 70,000 people a year, including 11,000 elite canoeists and 59,000 community users, will enjoy rafting at the centre.
Broxbourne Borough Council has launched a Waltham Cross renaissance scheme to rejuvenate the area, and hopes the White Water Centre will be at the heart of this.