New aerial images released by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today show the site of a new world-class white water canoe centre for the London 2012 Games taking shape. The images show the first of the canoe courses nearing completion with the venue on track to be completed later this year.
The Lee Valley White Water Centre is being built by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) in Hertfordshire and will host the canoe slalom events during the Olympic Games. Before and after 2012, the venue will be owned, funded and operated by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) as a sporting and leisure facility for canoeing and white-water rafting, as well as a major competition and training venue for elite events.
The ODA started construction work on the venue in July 2009 and over 100 people are now working on site. Concrete works on the canoe courses are well underway with the 160m intermediate/training course nearing completion and the 300m Olympic competition course taking shape. The two-storey facility building is also now structurally complete with internal fit-out work now underway.
ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'These new aerial images are an exciting glimpse of another world-class London 2012 venue taking shape. We are on track to complete the White Water Centre later this year, helping deliver an early sporting legacy for the East of England region well before the Games in 2012.'
Shaun Dawson, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority Chief Executive, said: 'As the only brand new Olympic venue open to the public before the Games, in Spring 2011, the world class Lee Valley White Water Centre will be an enormous asset to the region. We will offer a programme of white water rafting and canoeing for the general public, sports clubs, schools and elite athletes.
'The 300m long Olympic course and the 160m Intermediate Course will ensure it is an inclusive centre providing fun and excitement for all ages and abilities, in addition to providing a training ground for the next generation of elite canoeists. Along with the Lee Valley White Water Centre, in legacy the LVRPA will also own and manage the VeloPark and the Hockey and Tennis centres on the Olympic Park.'
Charles Johnston, Sport England’s Property Director, said: 'With just a year to go until the Lee Valley White Water Centre opens to the public, this is an exciting opportunity to see how spectacular the facilities will be. The centre will be a world-leading facility for amateur paddlers and elite athletes for years to come.'
Lord Edward Iveagh, from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), said:
'These pictures bring to life what a superb sports and leisure facility this will be. I am very pleased that EEDA has been able to work with partners to deliver a lasting legacy which will benefit local businesses and people for years to come.'
Paul Owen, Chief Executive of the British Canoe Union, comments: 'This Lee Valley White Water Centre is really taking shape, we are now seeing just how impressive the facility will be. This time last year it was difficult to conceptualise, but the completed facility building and the progress on the course footprint, really set the scene and provide a glimpse of the incredible legacy it will leave for canoeing and rafting. When the facility is completed and water flows, the venue will be spectacular, a real showcase for the sport and for the brand new Olympic venues being built.'
The Lee Valley White Water Centre is being built on a 10-hectare site, covering an area the equivalent of 25 full-size football pitches, and will include:
An Olympic standard 300m competition course
- A boat conveyor to transport participants to the course start in their rafts or canoes
A 160m intermediate/training course
- The intermediate course will help create an inclusive and comprehensive sports programme in legacy from novice paddler through to elite competitors
Lake
- Finish lake area of 10,000m2 (1 hectare/2.5 acres)
A facility building and pumping house
- Containing a reception, café, changing rooms, admin offices, spectator viewing facilities, storage, and water pump/filtration plant
Landscaping works
- With path and bridge networks throughout the venue to facilitate spectator viewing and access
The construction of the Lee Valley White Water Centre is due to be completed for Games training and testing in 2010-11 with some public use in 2011. During the Games, temporary seating will be installed around the venue for spectators. After the Games, the spectator seating will be removed, and the venue will be developed into the Lee Valley White Water Centre, creating a major leisure attraction for canoeing and white water rafting as well as a venue for future international competition and sports development opportunities.
Anyone keen to find out more information on the development of the venue and how it will be used before, after, or during the Games can visit a dedicated Information Point, located a 20-minute walk away from the site, at YHA Lee Valley in Cheshunt, part of the Lee Valley Regional Park.
Notes to Editors:
1. Aerial images of the Lee Valley White Water Centre can be downloaded from
http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr137499194 2. The construction of the Lee Valley White Water Centre is being carried out by Morrison Construction
3. The construction of the Lee Valley White WaterCentre includes funding from Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and Sport England.
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For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)20 3 2012 700.
