Olympic legacy at Lee Valley White Water Centre
This summer is the 10 year anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and 11 years since our design for Lee Valley White Water Centre became the first and only brand new venue to open before the Games.
From the outset, the project aimed to provide a community focused experience alongside facilities for elite athletes, with both a 300m Olympic course and a 160m loop for learners and thrill-seekers. In its first year, 126 school groups visited the centre to learn more about canoeing and the Olympics.
During the Games, Lee Valley White Water Centre hosted five days of intense canoe slalom events, and the venue made history for a second time when it re-opened to the public after just six weeks. Since opening, the White Water Centre has hosted three major international events, welcomed 500,000 people taking part in paddlesports and supported 5,700 people participating in funded programmes.
The centre is now the home of community programmes for local schools and clubs and the permanent base for British Canoeing's slalom team, continuing the legacy of the 2012 Games.
'It remains the best white water course in the world and we are very grateful to call it our home.'
- Mark Ratcliffe, Performance Director, British Canoeing
This year will also see the opening of Lee Valley Ice Centre, an Olympic-sized twin rink with the capacity to attract 500,000 visits a year. Inspired by the legacy of the White Water Centre, the ice centre will combine facilities for world class skaters, enthusiasts and people who have never skated before.
The ice centre will include a gym, café and community spaces in a parkland setting and will be accompanied by environmental improvements including 120 new trees, wetland habitats and grassland meadows. It will also be supported by a £250,000 community engagement programme to ensure access to the activities for local community groups and schools.
Read more about the two projects at the links below.
