Ireland’s newest sporting facility has opened its doors to media and guests and will put on its first full fixtures this coming weekend.
The €10 million International Indoor Athletics Arena at Athlone Institute of Technology will play host to College, Regional, National and International events starting this weekend with the staging of the Athletics Ireland Combined Event Championships on Saturday and the Athletics Ireland Open Indoor Games on Sunday.
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[ismember]With many sporting and athletics University programmes in the USA having budgets to match our entire spending on sport, the development of sporting facilities within our education infrastructure is a vital area. There is good precedent with UCD, DCU, University of Limerick and now Athlone among those to recognise the value. Sport is also central to the plans for the Dublin Institute of Technology Campus at Grangegorman.
The Athlone International Arena has a footprint of 6,818m2 and an overall building floor area of 9,715m2. Some 850 tonnes of structural steel and 50,000 concrete blocks went into the construction of the facility which has seating for 2,000 spectators.
Senator Eamonn Coghlan hailed the new facility as the “best news story in Irish athletics history”.
Speaking at a tour of the International Arena for members of the media, the legendary athlete said that: “This world-class facility will inspire future generations of athletes towards greatness for many years to come.”
Another sporting legend, and Ireland Team manager at London 2012 Sonia O’Sullivan, added that: “The investment and foresight by AIT will enhance the ability of many Irish athletes to train at a high level throughout the winter months and also perform at home in front of their friends and family in a world-class facility.”
Chris Jones, Triathlon Ireland’s High Performance Director and coach of Fionnuala Britton, said that: “It is vital for athletes to be able to compete in world-class facilitates; it is even more important to create a centre of excellence in your own country. AIT’s indoor arena offers both the opportunity for world-class preparation for athletes and coaches, while creating an opportunity for Irish athletes to challenge the very best athletes in the world.”
The new arena “is not just a resource for elite athletes,” according to Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin, President of AIT and also President of Athletics Ireland, “it is there to be used by the entire college community and, indeed, by the people of Ireland generally. We repeatedly hear about our growing obesity problem and the acute need for a society-wide appreciation of the importance of exercise and healthy living. The arena will directly support the realisation of this ambition.”[/ismember]
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