Medway’s new £11m centre of sporting excellence will welcome its first occupants next month, following a £10,000 lottery grant to Rainham Judo Club.

England judo players and Medway elite atheletes James Lewis and Sam Malkinson will be among those set to benefit from the new facilities.

The Medway Park centre, on the site of the Black Lion Leisure Centre, was approved in March as a pre-games training centre for 13 olympic sports and eight paralympic sports, including judo and paralympic judo. Elite atheletes from around the world will be using the facilities to train for London 2012.

Club secretary Wendy Malkinson said: “We are very excited about moving into the new centre next month. It will provide a fantastic base for our club and for our future development.”

The lottery funding will be used to provide a sprung floor and mats for the club’s new dojo, the first project completed through government funded development of the Gillingham sport complex.

The arrival of the club is a positive step for the project, which had been put in doubt after £5m of funds was held back by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Sarah Dand, Medway Council sports development officer, said: “These are exciting times for the club and for the sport of judo in Medway.

"Icongratulate the club on their lottery grant and look forward to the sport

of judo being developed further at Medway Park.”

New facilities will also include an eight-lane athletics track, a 12-court sports hall and a purpose built gymnastics centre, due for completion in summer 2009.

The centre will be hosting the modern pentathlon world cup in April 2010, the first international sporting event ever to be hosted by Medway.