Bleak outlook for Christchurch's QEII Park complex

The Christchurch earthquake of Tuesday 22nd February has severely impacted the City Council's aquatic, fitness and sport facilities with the Queen Elizabeth II Park (QEII Park) aquatic and sport complex closed indefinitely.

Christchurch City Council Recreation and Sports Manager John Filsell has told a meeting with sports codes representatives and owners of businesses located in the complex that infrastructure had been badly damaged by the earthquake.

Filsell stated that "the main building of QEII is under lockdown which means there is no access to anyone for any purpose."

Filsell added that all sports facilities across the city were also closed.

No date had been set for engineering assessment of the damage to the complex, some of which might be structural.

Sport Canterbury fear it will take a generation before some of its high-performance pathways return to pre-quake levels, with the Regional Sports Trust having assessed the damage to some of its facilities, especially the QEII Park complex.

Sport Canterbury Chief Executive Geoff Barry says aquatic sports have been hardest hit by the Christchurch earthquake with damage to the QEII complex, which hosts its elite swimmers, being seen as "terminal".

Barry says the reality is that children aspiring to be top level swimmers may now have to move outside Canterbury.

Other sports seriously affected by the earthquake include New Zealand Cricket's offices in Christchurch, New Zealand Rowing's boathouses (which are believed to have been damaged beyond repair) and the city's 18 bowling clubs.

Fortunately, none of the organisations have reported fatalities among participants or staff.

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9th February 2011 - TOP IPC ATHLETES MAKE THE MOST OF QEII PARK’S NEW TRAINING TRACK

24th January 2011 - EARTHQUAKE REPAIRS SCHEDULED FOR CHRISTCHURCH POOLS

5th September 2010 - HERITAGE AND LEISURE BUILDINGS SUFFER IN CHRISTCHURCH QUAKE

17th November 2009 - POSEIDON’S LAIR OPENS AT CHRISTCHURCH’S QEII PARK