Council Leader congratulates Inverness-based Paralympian for Rio Gold

Leader of The Highland Council Cllr Margaret Davidson is publicly congratulating Inverness-based hand cyclist Karen Darke on her gold-medal win for Great Britain in cycling's H1-3 time trial at the Rio Paralympics.

Cllr Davidson said: “This is a wonderful achievement for Karen which has made Inverness very proud. Her achievements show us that anything is possible if you have ambition.

“Highland Council has ambitious plans to provide excellent sports a facility for Highland and here’s hoping that the Council’s business case for a Regional Sports Hub will come to fruition and help to provide more opportunities for elite athletes like Karen in the future.” 

Highland Councillors agreed in March 2015 to progress an ambitious Regional Sports Facility for the Highlands, which could include a significant contribution by sportscotland to the project.

The Council agreed funding in September 2015 of up to £150,000 to develop detailed designs and costings for a Regional Sports Facility incorporating indoor cycling, tennis, athletics, judo and gymnastics.

The venue would be capable of hosting major exhibitions, conferences and concerts with a capacity of around 3000 people using the infield area. A Project Board for the proposals includes representation from sportscotland and High Life Highland.

The business case will be considered as part of the Council’ Capital Programme review at its meeting in October.