In June 2005 London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. One of the few events to be held outside the Capital City will be the sailing competitions. Portland Port and Weymouth Bay will be the venue for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing events.
Portland Port - view from above
About Weymouth and Portland
The venue comprises the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) and the adjoining commercial marina.
It has kick-started the regeneration of the former Naval Air Station at Portland, now known as Osprey Quay, where new residential, commercial and marina facilities are already underway.
Weymouth and Portland provides some of the best natural sailing waters in the UK, with facilities on land to match. The site has already hosted numerous international sailing events, including the 2006 ISAF World Youth Championships attended by over 60 nations.
Work to enhance the sailing facilities at Weymouth and Portland has been completed. The enhancements to the existing WPNSA facilities include a new permanent 250m slipway and new lifting and mooring facilities.
The project was completed on budget and ahead of schedule, providing world-class facilities for elite athletes and the local community more than three years before the Games.
Weymouth Bay
During the Games
Weymouth and Portland Bay is a natural amphitheatre and there are several vantage points to watch the Sailing events from if one does not have a ticket. The Local Authority will be also providing a big screen to watch the Games coverage on Weymouth beach, and putting on a range of free sporting and cultural activities.
After the Games
The National Sailing Academy will benefit from the improved facilities that the Olympic Games will leave behind, providing a state-of-the-art facility for elite training, competition and local community use.
This use has already started: from a community programme through to hosting the Olympic Windsurfing discipline, RS:X class World Championship in 2009, and the IFDS (Paralympic Sailing) World Championship in 2011.
The Olympic Games are taking place between the 29th July 2012 – 11th August 2012. The Paralympic Games are taking place between the 31st August 2012 – 5th September 2012.
