National Snowsports Training Centre In Australia Advances

The National Snowsports Training Centre project in Jindabyne (AUS) in New South Wales has received good news.

The New South Wales Government announced a grant backing the project last year. Stage one of the project is envisaged to be completed in early 2021. Plans for the Jindabyne centre were initially backed by the NSW Government last year.

The first stage of the AUD$5 million (£2.7 million/$3.5 million/€3 million) scheme will see the construction of a dry slope airbag jump, as well as upgrades to the Jindabyne Sport and Recreation Centre.

The overall plans would see the centre incorporated within the existing sport and recreation site, with a key feature being a dry slope airbag facility for the park and pipe programmes of skiing and snowboarding.

The airbag would provide a reduced-risk training environment as slopestyle and big air competitors would perfect their skills on an inflatable bag before taking to the snow.

Snow Australia chief executive Michael Kennedy welcomed the decision to advance the project, which he believes will help to sustain the success of the country's athletes internationally.

"This is a significant step towards the establishment of a permanent base for snow sport in Australia," Kennedy said. "This facility is critical to ensuring the sustained success of our athletes in an increasingly competitive international sporting environment. It will serve as a base for our high performance programmes and will also provide a focal point for pathway programmes and the broader winter sport community.”