The swimmers that saw the wave-shaped 2800 tonne Aquatics Centre roof taking shape included Beijing medallists double Gold winner Rebecca Adlington, Joanne Jackson, Bronze Medallist and 400m freestyle world record holder and David Davies, 10km Open Swim Silver medallist.

The Aquatics Centre will be the gateway to the Olympic Park and in legacy will provide two 50m swimming pools, a diving pool and dry diving area - facilities London does not have at present.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: 'Work on the Aquatics Centre is on track and the sweeping roof that will form the ‘Gateway to the Games’ is already taking shape in the skyline. This was an opportunity for the British Swimming Team to see the exiting progress being made on the venue they could be competing in 2012 and training in after the Games alongside the local community.'

Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee Sebastian Coe said: 'In three years or so, this Aquatics Centre will be a living, breathing Olympic and Paralympic venue and I hope home to some extraordinary British performances in 2012 and beyond. I am sure that seeing the venue – even in these early stages of construction - will inspire our swimmers to greater heights between now and 2012. And after the Games, London will be left with a fantastic swimming facility for both elite and community use – something the city is in desperate need of.'

Michael Scott, the British Swimming National Performance Director: 'Visiting the London 2012 Aquatics Centre has reminded the athletes of their long term goals and we are just about to head off to our National Squad training camp which is part of our preparations for the FINA 2009 World Championships in Rome.

'The London 2012 Games may still be three years away but those that made the visit will use this as motivation to make sure they will be there swimming in front of their home crowd in 2012.'

Thirty pairs of temporary support trestles up to 20 metres high have been put in place to support the huge steel trusses that will form the sweeping wave-shaped roof of the Aquatics Centre, which will be the ‘gateway’ to the Olympic Park during the 2012 Games and in legacy.

The 2,800-tonne steel roof of the Zaha Hadid designed venue started being lifted into place in March in the toughest engineering and construction challenge of the Olympic Park ‘big build’. After the 160m long roof is in place, which will be longer than the span of Heathrow Terminal Five, it will be lowered into its permanent position on three concrete supports.

Over 20,000 tonnes of concrete have been poured to complete the southern roof support and both the two 18.5m tall northern roof supports.

Notes to editors:

images of the British Swimming team visiting the Aquatics Centre site can be downloaded at: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr124210302
   
Aquatics Centre factfile

1.      The Zaha Hadid designed Aquatics Centre is located in the south of the Olympic Park and will be the main ‘Gateway into the Games', hosting swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, water polo finals and the swimming discipline of the Modern Pentathlon.

2.      The Aquatics Centre will have a capacity of 17,500 during the Games, reducing to a maximum of 2,500 in legacy, with the ability to add 1,000 for major events, and provide two 50m swimming pools, a diving pool and dry diving area - facilities London does not have at present.

3.      Eleven industrial buildings have been demolished on the 55,000 m2 site.

4.      Around 160,000 tonnes of soil have been dug out on of what was one of the more challenging and complex areas of the Olympic Park, contaminated with pollutants including petrol, oil, tar, solvents and heavy metals such as arsenic and lead.

5.      Four skeletons were discovered and removed from a prehistoric settlement discovered on the site of the Aquatics Centre.

6.      140,000 tonnes of clean soil has been brought from other areas of the Olympic Park to prepare for construction to start.

7.      Planning permission has been achieved and Balfour Beatty is building the Aquatics Centre and huge land-bridge that forms the roof of the training pool and the main pedestrian access to the Olympic Park. Construction work will be complete in 2011 for test events ahead of the Games.

8.      The sweeping roof, which is 160m long and 80m at its widest point, is an innovative 2,800 tonne steel structure with a striking and robust aluminium covering resting on three supports.

9.    16 steel trusses are already in place with the roof starting to take shape in the skyline.

10.  The roof will be internally and externally clad with timber. The team is currently finalising its selection of the most appropriate timber both for the Games and in legacy before installation in 2010.

11.  The river that runs alongside the venue has been widened by eight metre by building 550m of new river walls.

12.  The huge completed southern roof support is 9m high, 28m long, over 5m wide, using 850m³ of concrete.

13.   A 3,000 tonne concrete ‘bridge’ has been built spanning and protecting the tunnels which have been dug to run powerlines beneath the site. The northwest roof support has been built on top of this base.

14.  Construction is about to be complete on both the 18.5m tall north east and north west roof supports.

15.  The foundations are complete for the huge landbridge that forms the main pedestrian entrance to the Olympic Park and the roof of the training pool in the Aquatics Centre and work is underway on all of the bridge supports.
 
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For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)20 3 2012 700.

The construction of the venues and infrastructure of the London 2012 Games is funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.

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