A sporting centre of excellence with the needs of the community at its heart

Medway Park is the £11.1m development to transform the Black Lion leisure centre into a regional centre of sporting excellence.

The project, which will be completed in January 2010, will provide Medway with a sporting hub of a calibre and diversity unequalled anywhere else in the county.

Once completed, the new-look centre will offer:

• a new 12-court multi-sports hall;

• a new eight-lane athletics track;

• a new gymnastics centre linked to the Jumpers Rebound Centre;

• the complete refurbishment of the Black Lion to international training standard to include:
  
  

  • a dedicated judo centre;

  • a 100-station health and fitness and free-weights suite;

  • the University of Kent centre for sports therapy and sports science;

  • a dedicated health and fitness suite for junior athletes;

  • upgraded swimming and changing room facilities;

  • fully-integrated disabled access and changing rooms;

  • a new cafeteria and bar area.

Medway Park has received £5m of government funding, £1m from Sport England and £3m from the University of Kent, which will provide state-of-the-art sports science and sports therapy for both academic and commercial purposes.

The centre has been approved by London 2012 organisers as a Pre Games Training Camp for 13 Olympic and eight Paralympic sports.

The plans are designed to deliver benefits both for 2012 and beyond. They will benefit the sporting elite and the community at large and meet the needs of the burgeoning Universities at Medway campus and the new MidKent College development.

Medway Council's Portfolio Holder for Community Services, Cllr Howard Doe, said: "This is an exciting phase in our project to develop the growth of sport in Medway.

"We want to encourage young people to participate in sport and Medway Park will raise their aspirations."

Medway Park will be hosting the Modern Pentathlon World Cup in 2010 and is one of only nine training camp facilities for modern pentathlon to be selected by London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG).

Medway Park forms an integral part of Chatham's bid to become a World Heritage Site and will be the official sports and activities zone of the new Great Lines Heritage Park.

Read more about Medway Park

• Visit the official Medway Park webiste (www.medwaypark.org.uk)

• Creating a regional centre of sporting excellence

• World Heritage Site (www.chathamworldheritage.org.uk)

• Opening times

Investing in talent

Athlete support in Medway

Medway Games

Medway's improved games series

World Cup 2010

World-class modern pentathlon event is coming to Medway

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