Victoria's new home of elite athletes unveiled

Wednesday, 22 February 2012

The new home of the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park, will tonight be officially opened by the Minister for Sport and Recreation Hugh Delahunty.

Ahead of tonight’s stakeholder function, Mr Delahunty was joined by VIS athletes Jana Pittman (athletics), Sam McGregor (water polo) and Jess Gallagher (EAD athletics), the Minister for Major Projects Denis Napthine and VIS CEO Anne Marie Harrison for a tour of the new facilities.

“Late last year Lakeside Stadium was opened with Australia’s greatest 10,000 metre race, the Zatopek:10, which marked a new era for athletics in Victoria,” Mr Delahunty said.

The opening of the new headquarters of the Victorian Institute of Sport will create another new chapter for our elite and rising sports stars.  

“While much of the Lakeside Stadium development is geared towards supporting grassroots and community sport, the VIS headquarters is squarely focused on supporting and developing our sporting superstars as they train to compete on the world stage,” Mr Delahunty  said.

The Victorian Government invested $67 million in the Lakeside Stadium project, which has seen the construction of international standard athletics competition facilities, including an iconic blue track, a new natural grass pitch for soccer, new electronic video board, a new northern grandstand and an upgrade to the 1926 heritage grandstand, which is now the headquarters for the Victorian Institute of Sport.

Minister for Major Projects Denis Napthine said the heritage listed 1926 grandstand had undergone a major restoration and refurbishment.

“Compared to building something new from the ground up, refurbishing an old building can be extremely challenging. In this case builders had to prop up the external brick façade temporarily in order for the new structure to be built inside the shell of the existing building,” Dr Napthine said.

“Buildings of this age are known for their hidden surprises and the grandstand was no exception. During the project, builders found footings from previous structures and mystery doorways leading to nowhere hidden within the wall cavities.

“To successfully build a modern state-of-the-art training facility while simultaneously preserving this iconic heritage listed building is a massive achievement and I would like to thank all of those involved in the construction process.

“This new building will give our athletes a fantastic head start, boasting an elite training gym with the latest equipment, state-of-the-art coaching facilities, a 25-metre pool and a sprung floor multi-purpose room,” Dr Napthine said.

VIS CEO Anne Marie Harrison said it was all about the athletes.

“It’s all about our athletes, particularly in an Olympic and Paralympic year. They now have their own space dedicated to their needs to ensure they can train, recover and perform at their best, and even though we’ve only been here a short time, the feedback has been very positive,” Ms Harrsion said.

VIS Track and Field star Jana Pittman added the facility was a convenient asset.

“For me personally to have pretty much all my requirements now located in the one place, saves time and energy allowing me far less downtime and enables me to focus on what I have to do and get on with it,” Ms Pittman said.