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The White Water Canoe Centre in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire will host the canoe slalom events during the Olympic Games. After the Games, the venue will be developed to become a sporting and leisure facility for canoeing and white-water rafting, as well as a major competition and training venue for elite events. The Centre will be owned, funded and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, who own the site. The venue will feature an intermediate course alongside the Olympic course, allowing the Centre to create an inclusive and comprehensive sports development programme in legacy from novice paddler through to elite competitors.

The White Water Canoe Centre is being built in Broxbourne on part of the River Lee Country Park, close to Waltham Cross station. The construction site was visited today by Team GB Canoeist Laura Blakeman who won Gold at the recent European Canoe Slalom Championships.

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'Completing all of our milestones over the past year is a significant achievement and the start of work at Broxbourne shows we are hitting our targets not just on the Olympic Park but across the London 2012 project. We are making good progress but there will continue to be tough challenges ahead and we are not complacent.

'The start of construction work in Broxbourne keeps us on track to deliver a world-class venue for London 2012 and a major leisure attraction after the Games. With the venue due for completion ahead of 2012, we will deliver an early legacy of first-class new sporting facilities allowing the huge benefits of the Games to be felt in Broxbourne and the East of England region well before the world’s best athletes arrive in 2012.'

Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: 'This is an important stage in the delivery of a facility that will provide a world-class venue for Games-time and an excellent facility for elite athlete and community usage after the Games, living up to our promise of leaving a lasting legacy for sport. I look forward to seeing the construction of Broxbourne take shape as we develop a challenging Olympic course and a community facility which will provide a new experience for beginners.'

A new visitor information point was also opened today at the YHA Lee Valley, next to Cheshunt Railway Station where visitors can find more information about the Broxbourne project. The White Water Canoe Centre is being built on a 10 hectare site, covering an area the equivalent of 25 full-size football pitches.

(Source: LOCOG)