Beachley tips centre to deliver gold
SEVEN-TIME world champion Layne Beachley is confident Surfing Australia’s multimillion-dollar High Performance Centre expansion can create a gold rush for the 2020 Olympics and beyond.
The Surfing Australia chairperson was on hand with world rour pro Bede Durbidge, upand-coming Tweed superstar Zahli Kelly and dignitaries at the Casuarina-based centre yesterday to turn the first sod on the $6 million upgrade.
With surfing set to make its Olympic debut in 2020, Beachley said the expansion would set Australia up for sustained success in Tokyo and beyond.
“It (expansion) signals the turning of the tide for this organisation. We’re going to go to a benchmark facility we anticipate is going to bring home a whole host of gold medals in the future,” she said.
“We are confident that we will be ensuring athletes are provided with the opportunities for success.”
Works on the project - generated by $2.536 million in funding through the Federal Government’s Building Better Regions Fund, and $3 million from the NSW Government begin today and are expected to be completed in July, 2018.
New facilities will include underground parking for 18 vehicles, a bigger and better AIS Aerial Surf Skate Training Facility, an improved and expanded world-class gymnasium, 100-seat auditoriums, expanded treatment facilities, and 11 new accommodation rooms.
The centre will also be recognised as a NSW Institute of Sport National Training Centre, and an AOC-recognised training facility.
“This exceptional new facility is a very exciting development for Australian surfing and the prospects of those athletes that will be a part of the Olympic team in years to come,” said AOC CEO Matt Carroll. “We are certain that the facility will help nurture our already talented athletes into genuine medal contenders for Tokyo 2020 and beyond.”