Team Argentina trains for 2015 Pan Am Games at Banook Canoe Club
An Argentinean flag flies alongside a Canadian flag at the Banook Canoe Club in Dartmouth, N.S.
It's a way to make Argentina's paddling team feel welcome as they train for the Pan Am Games in Toronto.
Diego Canepa, the team's head coach, said the athletes are training at Lake Banook because conditions there are similar to the Toronto race course.
"Yes, it's a long distance from Toronto, but this is our bunker." he said at the Banook Canoe Club Sunday morning.
The team arrived in Halifax on June 18, but their kayaks never showed up.
Barry Ring, president of the Banook Canoe Club, said some members offered the team use of the canoe club's boats while they are here.
"Paddling is a very different sport than a lot of other sports. We're a nice community, we're a big community and we're always helping each other out. It doesn't matter if it's local or international, people really come together," said Ring.
The Banook Canoe Club hosted part of the first-ever Canada Cup regatta over the weekend.
15 teams took part, including Team Argentina, who placed during some of the races.
Some members of Team Argentina are familiar with Lake Banook. Sabrina Ameghino trained there for the Winnipeg Pan Am Games.
"I was here in 1999 and I loved it then and I love it now. It's a perfect and beautiful place. It's a lot of wind for us, but they say the Welland race course is the same, so it's perfect for training," said Ameghino.
Argentina's paddling team will leave for Toronto on Tuesday.
