DORNEY LAKE, Eton College Rowing Centre
world class rowing & much much more

Zac Purchase (left) with Mark Hunter - gold medal winners (lightweight double scull), Beijing 2008

Dorney Lake & the 2012 Olympics

Dorney Lake is a 2,200m, eight-lane course with a separate return lane constructed to international standards by Eton College that was fully completed in 2006.

The project has delivered the best course in the UK and one of the best in Europe and was a great success in 2006, when Dorney Lake hosted the Rowing World Championships, gaining high praise from both competitors and spectators.

Dorney Lake is set in 450 acres of parkland which includes an Arboretum and Nature Conservation area. During the bid to host the 2012 Games, a Finish Tower was added to the course in time for the Rowing World Cup in 2005.

Getting Ready for 2012

The existing Eton College Rowing Centre at Dorney Lake will be enhanced to provide improved facilities for athlete warm-up and Flatwater Canoe/Kayak competition. A planning application for the improvements was passed in summer 2008 for the construction of an upgraded roadway and construction of two bridges on the island between the two lakes.

Design and construction is taking place in 2009-10, to be ready for the test events of both Rowing and Kayak in 2011.

Up to 30,000 spectators per day will be able to enjoy the Rowing, Kayak and Paralympic Rowing events at Eton Dorney and there will be 3,500 staff and volunteers assisting the venue.

Athletes will be housed in the residential buildings at the Royal Holloway College, which is 16km from the competition venue. Athletes will also be provided with a bed at the main Olympic Village in Stratford.

After the Games

Dorney Lake will continue to provide a world-class training and competition facility and the home of Eton College's rowing.