Canoe championship celebration turned rowdy

The closing ceremony for last week’s 2012 International Canoe Federation Junior & U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships ended with teenagers and young adults indulging in alcohol and shedding clothing, according to the Wausau Police Department.

Some of the world’s top canoeists celebrated a bit too hard Sunday in Wausau after police were called to reports of people running naked and urinating in public following the closing ceremony held at Isle of Ferns Park.

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Officers made no arrests and issued no citations, but police did turn over some of the athletes to the custody of their coaches, Wausau Deputy Police Chief Bryan Hilts said Wednesday.

Championship organizers hired security for the event and Wausau Police provided extra patrols in the area throughout the competition without any problems, Hilts said. Viewpoints about alcohol consumption and clothing choices differ among cultures and might have fed the post-closing ceremony debauchery, he said.

“In the future, we might work more closely with organizers and coaches about behavior and clothing that fits within our culture and standards,” Hilts said.

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