Olympic Legacy Park bolstered by addition of two new sports venues
TWO world-class sports venues have been announced as the latest additions to the Olympic Legacy Park (OLP) in Sheffield.
The English Institute of Sport Sheffield (EIS Sheffield) and iceSheffield have been incorporated into the multi-million pound project.
The OLP in the East End of Sheffield is a joint venture between Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield City Council.
The centrepiece of the new OLP is a multi-million pound Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) which will design, research, evaluate and implement health and wellbeing activities linking the medical, leisure and sports sectors.
The Rt. Hon Richard Caborn, former sports minister and project lead, said: “In EIS Sheffield and iceSheffield, we’ve got two of the best sporting facilities in the UK so it’s a real coup to secure the venues within the Olympic Legacy Park.
“The OLP will be home to the only research facility in this country and, we believe Europe, with elite and professional athletes and educational organisations all on one site and EIS Sheffield and iceSheffield are both important features in this unique set up.”
EIS Sheffield is the largest multi-sport English Institute of Sport venue in the country covering five acres.
It is home to the Yorkshire base of EIS Sport Science and Medical services and provides a state-of-the-art indoor sporting and fitness facility for the local community, professional sports teams and elite athletes including Olympic heptathlon champion, Jessica Ennis-Hill, and the GB Boxing squad.
A national Centre of Excellence for figure skating and ice hockey, iceSheffield’s dual-pad Olympic size ice rinks provide facilities for elite performance and the local community.
iceSheffield’s Academy of Excellence is home to some of the country’s top skaters and the venue was used as a preparation camp for Team GB’s Winter Olympic figure skaters and skeleton athletes Shelley Rudman and Kristan Bromley ahead of the Sochi 2014 Games.
Both sports facilities are part of the Sheffield City Trust Group (SCTG) – a charity whose purpose is to benefit the health and wellbeing of the people of Sheffield.
Steve Brailey, chief executive of Sheffield City Trust, said: “The Olympic Legacy Park is a fantastic new development for Sheffield which we’re proud to be a part of.
“As world-class facilities which balance the health needs of the local community with supporting Olympic and World level athletes, EIS Sheffield and iceSheffield are the perfect fit for the OLP.”
