Lake Lanier Olympic Venue is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with a new name. The Gainesville Hall ’96 Roundtable voted and the campus is now: Lake Lanier Olympic Park.
Since its revival in 2013, The Gainesville Hall 96’ Board took over the entire historic area, which includes: beach and picnic areas, the Olympic Tower, the Boat House and Clarks Bridge Park. After discussing it with the Army Corps of engineers and the Gainesville and Hall Governments, The board decided it was to time to re-brand and give the venue a name that represents all it has to offer to the public: Lake Lanier Olympic Park.
Recent 1.1 million dollars in renovations make it possible to host larger sporting events and also make the park more useful for the public by providing a place to host weddings, corporate events, and festivals. The park also offers paddle boarding, fishing, swimming and other watersports.
The new name rolled out just in time for the Pan American Championships for sprint canoe and kayak. The four-day Olympic qualifying tournament will take place May 19-22 at Lake Lanier Olympic Park. The winners of the Pan Am will go on to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio this summer. The event will attract top athletes from North, South and Central America and is free and open to the public.