Olympics: Winter Olympians unveil $6.4 million practice facility in Brisbane
A $6.4 million launching pad for Australia’s Olympic skiers has been unveiled and world champ Dani Scott says it’s the boost they need to push for winter gold. VIDEO: Take the virtual jump here.
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A new $6.4 million training facility for aerial skiers in Brisbane has been lauded as a “huge advantage” by Olympic hopefuls ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The brand new facility, the southern hemisphere’s only year-round outside aerial ski facility, has opened 10 years after the idea was raised in Brisbane.
Australia has a golden history in aerial skiing from multiple world champion Jacqui Cooper, through to Olympic gold medallists Alisa Camplin and more recently Lydia Lassila.
The 37-metre tall structure got a solid workout from World Cup gold medallist and two-time Olympian Danielle Scott on Thursday who said it was the sort of facility that could take the skies to new heights.
“It‘s been a long time coming,” Scott said.
“It‘s pretty incredible. We’re super happy with how it’s turned out.
“It‘s a huge advantage for us. We’ve been at the mercy of other countries for so many years now and we’ve got such a rich history in the sport, so to see what we can achieve with a facility on home soil is going to be pretty incredible.
“I‘m always chasing gold, and I think just being here and loving what I do is the main thing and the results will come naturally.”
Abbey Willcox with a double-somersault, testing out the Winter Olympic Training Centre in Brisbane.@OWI_AUS @SnowAust pic.twitter.com/aKtv4A0cs8
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) October 1, 2020
Scott, a former gymnast who only learnt to ski when she was 16, said the ramp would also lure more juniors to the sport.
“Now that we have this facility on home soil we can start athletes a lot younger, and I would have loved to have done that,” the 30-year-old Sydney-born aerial skier said.
“Future generations have got it pretty good.
“I‘m so excited to see the up and comers, and gymnasts who eventually retire and want to transition into a new sport.
“It‘s right here on our doorstep. They can see it, they can check it out, they can try it, and it’s not going into something that’s the complete unknown, which I did.”
Originally published as Olympics: Winter Olympians unveil $6.4 million practice facility in Brisbane