Western Australian Institute of Sport High Performance Service Centre
In May 2012 the State Government announced $31.73million in funding for a new Western Australian Institute of Sport High Performance Service Centre in order to meet the training requirements of Western Australia’s high performing athletes.
This was in addition to $2 million provided in the 2011/2012 budget for initial planning of the project.
WAIS led the way in the mid 1990s, becoming the first of the state institutes to have their own facility when the current WAIS building was completed in 1996. The current facility was an add-on to Challenge Stadium built to a tight budget which has since fallen behind the rest of Australia with all other major states investing in modern and purpose built facilities for their athletes.
With nearly 300 athletes plus coaches and support staff, the existing WAIS facility does not provide adequate space or facilities to meet the modern needs of high performance athletes. This is none more evident than in the failure of the current strength and conditioning gym to provide access disabled athletes.
The new High Performance Service Centre will include:
- A new two storey building with gross floor area
- The ground floor will house specialist training and testing functions including:
- Strength and conditioning gym
- Multi-purpose training and testing area
- 80m four lane indoor runway for long jump, sprinting and throwing sports, which also includes a 10m ceiling height to support the national pole vault program
- Hydrotherapy and recovery pools
- Physiology and environmental laboratorys for sports science research and testing
- Consultation rooms for drug testing, anthropometry, physiotherapy and medical analysis
- Athlete amenities (study, passive recreation, meeting) and change rooms
- First floor comprising office space for staff and coaches, including meeting rooms and staff amenities.
The project leverages existing state level sports infrastructure within the Mount Claremont Sporting Precinct which comprises Challenge Stadium, WA Athletics Stadium, WA Basketball Centre, WA Rugby Centre and The University of Western Australia Sports Park. Design work has now begun, with construction anticipated to commence in the first half of 2013. It is hoped that athletes will be utilising the facility by December 2014 in their preparation for the 2016 Olympics.
The WAIS High Performance Service Centre will be delivered in partnership between the Department of Sport and Recreation, Western Australian Institute of Sport, VenuesWest and the Department of Finance – Building Management and Works.
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