The centre was opened during a special ceremony in Izhevsk, the capital of Russian Republic Udmurtia. 

The centre will focus on sports including sledge hockey, wheelchair curling, cycling, cross-country skiing and biathlon, alpine skiing, speed skating and powerlifting.

The Paralympic Sport Centre was created on the base of the Chekeril sport complex, which already includes several sports facilities.

The new centre includes a 56x26 metres ice rink and a 25m swimming pool with four lanes and two gyms.

Sledge hockey players from the Udmurtia team who are part of the Russian Paralympic team will train at there in the build-up to Sochi 2014.

The President of the Republic of Udmurtia, Aleksandr Volkov, members of the Republic of Udmurtia Government, representatives from the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of the Russian Federation, the Russian Paralympic Committee and sports federations all attended the opening.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]