A number of top Australian Olympic Games performers have been invited to attend the official opening of the University of Queensland's new athletics stadium next Wednesday, June 3.
The $2 million eight-lane running track and associated field sports facilities will be opened by the Minister for Sport Mick Veivers.
Among the invited guests are 100m and 200m champion sprinter, former world record holder and Olympic bronze medallist Marlene Matthews, and world championship silver medallist in javelin, Joanna Stone.
Mr Veivers was at the St Lucia campus in September for a ceremony marking the start of construction of the 400m track plus facilities for pole vault, high jump, long jump and triple jump, shotput, discus and javelin.
The track has been designed to international competition standards and is made of a polyurethane material expected to produce a fast surface favoured by athletes.
Special features at the new stadium allow it to be used by the UQ Rugby Union and Rugby League Clubs while schools and others in the community will have access to the athletics facilities.
At Wednesday's opening the track will be put through it's paces by University and secondary school runners who will compete in two 100m races and a 400m handicap event.
Joanna Stone, a silver medallist last year in Germany, will be involved in a javelin demonstration and there will also be pole vault and high jump demonstrations.
The track and other facilities, including a grandstand due to be built later this year, are in for a thorough baptism when several hundred Italian athletes arrive to begin training for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
The entire Italian team - more than 500 people - is planning to use the St Lucia campus as its training base while other Olympic squads are also expected to take advantage of the University's spacious new athletics facilities.
Wednesday's opening will begin at 11am with a welcome from University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay and conclude with a speech of thanks from James Voght chief executive officer of UQ Sport.
The function will include the screening of a video tracing the progress of construction which was partly funded by a $1 million contribution from the Queensland Government.
For further information, contact Kerry Johnson, of UQ Sport (telephone 3365 6612).
