WEYMOUTH, England -- Sailing facilities for the 2012 London Olympics were officially unveiled Friday, making it the first new venue to be completed for the Games.
The $10 million marina is located at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy in Dorset, on the south coast of England, which boasts some of the best small-boat sailing conditions in the world.
The profile of sailing in Britain has been raised by its success at recent Olympics. British sailors topped the medals table in the past three Games -- at Sydney, Athens and Beijing. In China, Britain took home four golds, one silver and a bronze in the sailing events.
With the new marina already completed, local gold medalists from Beijing such as Sarah Ayton and Paul Goodison can train on home waters and use the facilities to prepare for 2012.
Goodison was among those invited to see the completed site on Friday, along with former triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards, a member of the London 2012 Organizing Committee.
Construction involved demolishing existing marine structures and buildings abandoned by the Royal Navy in 1999. Some 80,000 tons of local stone was used in front of the sailing academy to form the new slipway, with a new steel-framed academy building.
There is a breakwater of more than 200 yards to protect the facilities and a pier featuring two yacht-lifting cranes and a pontoon with 70 spots for race boats.
The marina will include retail and industrial space with the aim of bringing social and economic regeneration to the local area, and will have 560 annual berths, with up to 40 extra for visiting yachts. It is due to open by early 2009, with 300 berths ready by April.