MEDIA RELEASE

November  11, 2009

Centre of Excellence redevelopment opens today

Preparation is key to winning sporting performance, and Christchurch-based high performance athletes now have a world class training facility to call their own.

The QEII complex, home to the NZ Academy of Sport South Island, has seen an extensive redevelopment over the last few months at its Centre of Excellence, to bring amenities up to a world-class level.

Many of New Zealand’s top triathalon, athletics, cycling and swimming athletes based in Christchurch use QEII as their training base, as do national squads including triathalon and rowing camps being held this year, and regional teams including the Tactix and rowing squads.

Users includes Olympic medal winning cyclist Mark Ryan, athletes star Rebecca Wardell, and gold medalist Sophie Pascoe.  Some of New Zealand’s top coaches, including John Hellemans and Greg Fraine(triathalon), Tim Carswell (cycling) Dave Edwards (bowling) and Andrew Maclennan (athletics) are also based at QEII.

Improvements were made to on-site training and athlete and coach support facilities, including a training centre extension, recovery zone, consulting/office development and accommodation, and an Athlete Assessment Laboratory.

New training facilities installed for the high performance sports people include a weights gym, testing laboratories, an aquatic-based recovery zone including hot pool and ice baths, a three lane 100m indoor track and covered turf.  The most significant development was a new elite athlete training floor with a new strength facility and a team circuit type area.

With the second stage of development now completed, there are already plans being made for on-going development to further build world class standards.

The first stage of the redevelopment last year saw customised administration and meeting areas for the personnel that work with elite athletes. 

The developments have effectively created a “hub” for elite athletes, with Christchurch now a leading provider of high performance sport services in New Zealand.

Sports providers and National Sports Organisations personnel have been encouraged to co-locate at the QEII facility, and are now providing a critical mass of high performance sporting personnel in a world class environment. Already Triathalon NZ, Bowls NZ, Paralympics NZ, Bike NZ and the Winter Performance Programme are housed on-site.

A total of $1.6 million has been invested in the project over 2008/09, with considerable investment from the Christchurch City Council and The Canterbury Community Trust for construction, equipment and fit-out.  The council already provides operational support annually, in addition to this capital works.

This is an exciting and valuable partnership between the Trust, the Council and the NZ Academy of Sport- South Island working for the benefit of Christchurch, and the future of high performance New Zealand athletes.

About the New Zealand Academy of Sport South Island

The Academy South Island, works in partnership with the other parts of the NZAS Network and SPARC to provide high performance support, services and advise to athletes, coaches and other personnel. The focus is on excellence - helping our top athletes achieve optimal performances.

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