£16m Lee Valley Athletics Centre opened

Culture Secretary and Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell has opened the £16m Lee Valley Athletics Centre which has been built to provide world- facilities in the build-up to the London 2012 Games.

The facility has been constructed on the site of the ill-fated Picketts Lock national athletics stadium, which never came to fruition.

That failure caused the government and UK Athletics worldwide embarrassment when it was announced London would be unable to stage the 2005 World Championships.

The new arena is the largest indoor and outdoor athletics centre serving London and the South of England, housing the only indoor 200 metre track in the region and facilities for jumping and indoor throwing events.

Athletes preparing for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games who will use the centre include last year's Commonwealth decathlon and triple jump gold medallists, Dean Macey and Phillips Idowu, respectively.

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe, who ran for local club Haringey during his career, said: "My former club has gained a world- new sporting home that will help it nurture new generations of Olympians and Paralympians.

"The Lee Valley Athletics Centre brings cutting-edge facilities within reach of millions of Londoners and people in the south east."

Jowell added: "As our preparations for the 2012 Games continue, centres like this will be very important.

"This will be a hub of training and support for those talented athletes aspiring for the podiums of 2008 and 2012."

Copyright Press Association 2007