An exciting new chapter in winter sports opened this week with the announcement that a National Ice Sports Centre is to be established in Melbourne.

The two-rink complex, funded jointly by the Victorian State Government and real estate developer ING, will be situated in Melbourne’s Docklands area adjacent to Harbour Town shopping centre and the Southern Star Observation Wheel.

Scheduled to open in early 2010, the NISC will also become the home of the Olympic Winter Institute.

OWI Chairman Geoff Henke (second from right, with from left, Victorian Sport and Recreation Minister James Merlino, ING Real Estate Chief Executive Officer Greg Boyd and Ice Sports Australia project consultant Andrew Shelton) said the National Ice Sports Centre was a first for Australia. 

“It’s a brilliant concept that gives new life to the long tradition of ice sports in Melbourne,” he said.

“It will be the cornerstone of national excellence, producing future Olympic champions.”

Victorian Sport and Recreation Minister James Merlino said the Brumby Government would contribute $10 million towards the National Ice Sports Centre, which will be the first of its kind in Australia.

“The $58 million National Ice Sports Centre will be a world-class facility and complement Victoria’s elite network of sporting facilities and precincts that help make Melbourne the best sporting events city in the world,’’ Mr Merlino said.

“The National Ice Sports Centre will feature two rinks with spectator seating and be equipped to host national and international ice hockey, ice skating, curling and speed skating events.

AOC President John Coates believes the new centre will “make Australia a world power in ice sports”.

“The facility will have a dramatic impact on our Olympic Winter sports with athletes able to train fulltime in a world class facility - it is wonderful news,” Coates said.

“We have won Olympic medals in short track speed skating, notably Steven Bradbury’s gold in 2002, and this initiative will encourage more young Australians to get involved in speed skating, ice dancing, hockey and curling.”

The establishment of the National Ice Sports Centre is the culmination of a long campaign by OWI chairman Geoff Henke and Andrew Shelton, the project consultant from Ice Sports Australia.

That it has come to fruition is testimony to the countless hours and unrelenting persistence that both men devoted to the project.

John Coates paid tribute to Henke’s vision.

“Geoff has been the driving force behind this project, he deserves special recognition for his determination to see the Ice Centre become a reality.”

As well as the two ice rinks – that will for the first time in Australia provide public access simultaneously with ice sports competition and training – the Centre will have a fully equipped gymnasium that will be available to OWI scholarship athletes.

Construction of the National Ice Sports Centre is scheduled to begin in early 2009.