Sports science to reach new heights
SPORTS science students will have up-close access to professional athletes at Cairns’ new-look basketball precinct.
Work has begun on the expansion of Cairns Basketball’s Aumuller St court.
Scheduled for completion early next year, the centre will include a new court, specialised sports science building and landscaping.
The Federal Government chipped in $1.5 million for the $3 million project.
CQU vice-chancellor Professor Scott Bowman said it would offer local sports science students invaluable practical experience.
“It will be the first place in Australia where students can come and study sport science alongside professional athletes,” he said.
“It will be the chance for athletes to be involved with the teaching of sport science.
“We’re taking the first students in the new year … once we have the facility up and running, they’ll move here.”
He said CQU had invested almost $1 million into the project. Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said the project positioned Cairns to become a tropical sports conditioning hub.
“To have this somewhere like Cairns is fantastic,” he said.
“This will help Cairns Basketball in building on the vision of Cairns becoming the fourth tropical sports conditioning centre in the world after Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
“We have everything here for that position and now we’re working on facilities.”
The new-look precinct will continue to be a training facility for local NBL franchise, the Cairns Taipans, while also helping to grow basketball participation at a grassroots level.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had developmental work here on site,” said Cairns Basketball president and Taipans chief executive Mark Beecroft.
“Our ability to grow the grassroots will only enhance that pathway for junior athletes.”