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concept illustrations
• Indoor Ski Slope |
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Notes for the editor
SnOasis will be: The world’s first indoor winter sports resort
The following elements are included within the SnOasis plan. However, as the project develops more may be added.
Winter Sports
Europe’s largest indoor ski slope, 415m long, 70m wide, with a 100m vertical drop to international standard. Capacity for 2,400 skiers per hour
General Sport
Multi purpose sports hall
Education, Entertainment and Accommodation
National Winter Sports Academy with 200-bed hostel |
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8th January 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Going for Gold with SnOasis
World’s First Centre of Excellence for UK Winter Sports
Snowsport GB, the governing body for the British Ski and Snowboard Teams, has announced a major sponsorship deal with SnOasis, the world’s first indoor winter sports resort and what will become the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for competitive snow sports.
The SnOasis development, near Ipswich, Suffolk, will be complete in 2012 and become the first UK-based training home for the British Ski and Snowboard teams. Today's top athletes including Chemmy Alcott, Noel Baxter and Dan Wakeham, as well as future ski and snowboard stars, will benefit from being able to develop their winning skills on home ground and build their standing as contenders for podium positions on the international competitive circuit.
Mark Simmers, chief executive of Snowsport GB, said: "SnOasis is the most significant development for competitive snowsports, not just for Britain but on a global scale and is an unparalleled opportunity for the UK teams. We have the talent and ability in Britain to win Olympic medals. A centre of excellence with resources from all year training to in-house medical and fitness teams means we can replicate the success of the Bejiing Olympics.”
SnOasis was recently granted Government approval for construction of the £350 million ‘Super Site’. It will feature Europe’s largest indoor ski slope at over 415 metres in length with a 100 metres vertical drop. It will also host a World Cup standard Half Pipe, one of only two in Europe, giving a major boost to snowboarding in the UK. There will be facilities for 14 different winter sports disciplines in total including the first ever 400 m speed skating track in the UK.
Plans are also underway to attract FIS World and Europa Cup competitions in snowboard and alpine skiing to the UK, which are normally only held in mainland Europe and North America. British athletes will get the chance to compete in front of “home” spectators, which will be a huge boost for the sport.
Chemmy Alcott said: “We all want to achieve the very highest accolades in our sport and it is fantastic to get this investment for all winter sports. Very few teams in the world will be able to train on snow 365 days a year. I also can’t wait for the chance to compete in front of home crowds which will be unbelievable.”
Godfrey Spanner, managing director of Onslow Suffolk, the developer of SnOasis said:“The vision to create a dedicated training centre for all British snowsports has taken over eight years but now we will be creating a world-class training and development facility, unrivalled across the globe. Our current athletes are competing at the top level and there is an amazing potential for youth development across all winter sports. They will have year round access to snow-based training and additional teams of expertise to complement existing support. We are absolutely committed to helping our athletes win gold medals.”
In addition to world-class training facilities, SnOasis and Snowsport GB will work with Essex University to put in place dedicated programmes for athlete development in their sporting discipline but also offering higher education opportunities to fit with training and competitions.
Ends
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6th November 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GO-AHEAD CONFIRMED FOR SnOasis
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18th June 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Leading figures from winter sports governing bodies visit SnOasis.
Four of the county’s top winter sports officials have recently spent the day in Suffolk meeting with representatives from several of the region’s educational establishments, including the Human Performance Unit from the University of Essex, and familiarising themselves with the size and scope of the SnOasis site. All of the organisations involved believe that SnOasis will provide the UK with an invaluable world-class facility, which could be utilised by elite athletes training for major competitions. And, that it will deliver a multifunctional venue to house national and international championships across a range of disciplines. They also envisage that SnOasis will play a much wider roll in the development of young talent. At present each winter sport organisation has its own development programme which tries to identify youngsters who have the potential to become medal-winning athletes. These programmes are mainly designed to concentrate on young people already involved with a particular sport. Although these initiatives produce an ongoing stream of athletes it is now widely believed that the country has a huge pool of untapped sporting talent, which should be exploited. For an example of this thinking - virtually every town in the country has a skatepark with young riders performing the most amazing manoeuvres. But just imagine for a moment, take a skateboard, take off the wheels, take away the concrete, replace it with snow, slightly change the board, keep the same rider, and you could have a talented snowboarder; given the right opportunity. To provide that opportunity these organisations, along with the management of SnOasis, are initiating strategies that will help to tap into this, as yet, unidentified talent. The initial aim is to combine existing specialist development programmes with “Talent ID” initiatives, which are already in place, to make sure that the country does not miss out on any potential winter sports stars, whatever their background, status or perceived ability. END |
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21st May 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SnOasis sponsors British Schoolboys Races for a 4th year.Now in its 10th year this annual ski competition has grown in popularity and nowadays accommodates 200 competitors from over 30 British schools. The competition will take place over a four-day period and feature three separate races, a parallel slalom “head to head” race, a slalom and a giant slalom. Races will operate strictly in adherence with British Competition rules counting towards the British seed points system. Meiringen in the Swiss Alps will once again provide a stunning backdrop for all competitors, support teams and spectators to enjoy. Godfrey Spanner, Managing Director of Onslow Suffolk, the developer of SnOasis said: “It’s a great pleasure for us to be involved with this competition. Also, it’s wonderful to see such energy, team spirit and determination from both the competitors and the organisers”. He continued: “Fostering young talent lies at the heart of the SnOasis ethos. When open, SnOasis will operate as a centre of excellence for a wide selection of winter sports; therefore, we can confidently predict that one day some of today’s schoolboy racers will be training with us as Olympians”. For the Schoolboys Races photo album 2008 please go to the links page. END |
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Further information will be made available as the project progresses.
For media information please contact Jim Carroll on: |
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