Venues – Eton Manor
The sporting facilities at Eton Manor will be the venue for Wheelchair Tennis during the London 2012 Games.
Key facts
Sport: Wheelchair Tennis
Location: In the north of the Olympic Park
New or existing?: New, permanent
The new sporting facilities are on the site of the old Eton Manor Sports Club, which had been disused since 2001. This community sporting facility was established in the 1900s and by the middle of the last century the Eton Manor Boys’ Club had gained a reputation as an elite sporting association.
There is a war memorial located on the site that is a tribute to Eton Manor Club members who fought and died in the First and Second World Wars. The memorial will be retained and restored as part of the work on the site.
Once the site was cleared, the area became the temporary home of Construction College East London. This was a practical training centre for people interested in working in construction. Many of the graduates from the centre went on to get jobs on the Olympic Park. In 2009 the centre moved to a permanent home near the Royal Docks in east London, so that the site could be prepared for the construction of the new facilities.
During the Games
During the Olympic Games, Eton Manor will have temporary training pools for participants in Aquatics events. It will have three 50m pools for swimmers, and smaller pools for synchronised swimmers and Water Polo players.
It will then host Wheelchair Tennis during the Paralympic Games, and remain a training facility for Aquatics competitors. There will be nine competition courts and four warm-up courts. The total of 10,500 seats for spectators will include a 5,000-capacity show court.
Getting to Eton Manor during the Games.
After the Games
It is intended that Eton Manor will be transformed into a unique mix of sporting facilities for local and regional communities, including a tennis centre with four indoor and six outdoor courts (four of which will be used for Wheelchair Tennis during the Games), a hockey centre with two competition pitches and five-a-side football pitches. The facilities will be able to accommodate elite hockey events for up to 15,000 spectators.
The facility will be owned, funded and run by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.
Getting ready for 2012
2010:
- Construction work due to start
2012:
- Construction due to be completed
- Test Event
- London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
