Britain’s greatest ever Olympian, Sir Chris Hoy, has given his formal backing to Edinburgh’s bid for the National Performance Centre for Sport (NPCS), which he described as the “natural home” for the facility.
Go Edinburgh 2016
The Edinburgh-born cycling champion pledged his support for ‘Go Edinburgh 2016’, the campaign to bring the NPCS to the capital, led by Heriot-Watt University in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council.
He said, “Edinburgh would be a fantastic and natural home for the National Performance Centre for Sport as both Heriot-Watt University and the city generally have a great track record of nurturing and developing new talent.
“This investment by the Scottish Government will create fantastic opportunities for community sport and performance athletes. I know I couldn’t have achieved my goals without the right facilities and support, and these will be essential for our future generations if we’re to help them achieve our country’s sporting ambitions.
“That’s what the bid by my home city aims to provide for a variety of sports, building on the excellent centre that already exists at Heriot-Watt. The gold medal and cup winners of tomorrow need our help. That’s why I’m getting right behind the ‘Go Edinburgh’ campaign and I urge everyone to join me.”
Heriot-Watt's bid
The capital has been shortlisted alongside Stirling and Dundee for the centre, with a decision expected in late summer. The facility is intended to provide Scotland's top sports men and women with the facilities, programmes and services that will enable them to excel on the international stage.
Heriot-Watt’s bid provides an easily accessible site situated in the capital city of Scotland with good transport links to the rest of the country and the UK. The University already has a strong sports science programme and close links to community clubs, as well as a number of national organisations including Scottish Squash and Racketball.
Heriot-Watt Principal Professor Steve Chapman said, "We are delighted to have Sir Chris' backing for our bid, and I know it will be a big boost for the whole team working on the campaign.
"Our desire is to create a world class sporting facility that will have a positive impact on the preparation of our athletes, readying them to compete successfully on the world stage, and possibly, who knows, helping the next Sir Chris Hoy to reach the top in his or her chosen sporting field."
Councillor Richard Lewis, the city’s Culture and Sport Convener, said, “Sir Chris’s backing means a huge amount for our campaign. He has shown throughout his career what fantastic sporting talent Edinburgh, and Scotland, has to offer and what this country’s athletes can achieve. I hope everyone will follow his lead and pledge their support for Edinburgh’s bid for the National Performance Centre for Sport.”
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