Institute opens €1.7m stand at athletics track

A NEW €1.7 million 1,000-plus seat stand has been officially opened at Cork Institute of Technology’s (CIT) athletics track.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe performed the opening of the stand, which was built with the aid of a Sports Capital Programme Grant, and co-funded by CIT, Cork City Council and Cork County Council.

The complex has a total of 1,070 seats and features a warm-up area for athletes beneath the stand, an artificial running track surface and a long jump zone.

There is also a separate two-storey building for event operations.

The new facilities will host this year’s Cork City Sports on July 2.

The complex was designed by Horganlynch, consulting engineers, Blackrock Road, Cork, and built by John Sisk & Son Ltd.

CIT president, Dr Brendan Murphy, said the facility will “add tremendously to the multi-sport campus ethos of CIT”.

In addition to the new stand area, CIT already has a 1,200-seat fully-covered stadium that houses a two-tier gymnasium, meeting room, doctor’s room and six dressing rooms, a floodlight sand-based multi-purpose pitch; a multi-purpose sports hall with a gym and weights room.

It also has three full size soccer pitches, two rugby pitches, two GAA pitches, a floodlit full-size astroturf pitch and a synthetic surfaced tennis court, and a 3km jogging track encompassing the campus.

The National Maritime College of Ireland in Ringaskiddy, a constituent college of CIT, also boasts a multi-purpose sports hall, with swimming, diving and sailing facilities.