With exactly a year to go until the London Olympics, the finishing touches have been put to the capital’s brand new aquatics centre.
The centre, the last of the six main Olympic Park venues to be completed, will be officially unveiled when British Olympic hopeful Tom Daley makes the first dive into the pool on Wednesday evening.
“Marking the one year to go by diving in the aquatics centre is an incredible honour,” said Daley. “Only a few years ago this was a distant dream.
“The fact that I qualified at the weekend and am taking the first dive is a complete privilege. I can’t wait for next year and the honour of representing Team GB.”
The aquatics centre will have a capacity of 17,500 during the Games, hosting swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, and the swimming element of the Modern Pentathlon.
After the Games, the venue will be reduced to a maximum capacity of 2,500, with the ability to add 1,000 for major events. It will provide two 50m swimming pools, a diving pool and dry diving area for a full range of community and elite use.
The sweeping roof, which is 160m long and 90m at its widest point, is an innovative steel structure weighing over 3000 tonnes with a striking and robust aluminium covering resting on three supports.
Over 850,000 ceramic tiles have been used in the centre, which also has six unique diving boards. Four skeletons were discovered and removed from a prehistoric settlement discovered on the site of the aquatic centre.
“It’s fantastic to add the beautiful aquatics centre to London’s list of first class venues which are already set to welcome the world’s greatest sportsmen and women,” said Major of London Boris Johnson.
“To have all six permanent venues complete with a year still to go to the Games is a great achievement, and a firm sign that we are well on track to deliver a truly spectacular show in 2012.”
Photos courtesy of London 2012