This stunning, popular venue had its post Olympics legacy use baked in from the start, to ensure that it could be a long term community sport and leisure asset with a wide audience base.

Before the London 2012 bid was finalised Lee Valley Regional Park Authority was a ready-made ‘legacy partner’ with existing plans for a VeloPark and White Water Centre and a clear vision for the three proposed venues, which would become Lee Valley White Water Centre, Lee Valley VeloPark and Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.

In order to get it absolutely right the Authority learnt from previous host cities, journeying to Barcelona, Sydney, Athens, and Beijing.

The Authority went on to influence and oversee every stage of the design and construction of the three venues to ensure that they were built with legacy in mind and would become valuable community assets. Legacy was the lens through which every decision was considered, from the minutiae of lighting and sound systems to making a case for a second, more gentle course at Lee Valley White Water Centre to broaden participation in paddlesports.

At the Authority’s insistence the venues had a “build once” philosophy for both Games time and legacy, this saved enormously costly, disruptive and in some cases prohibitive modifications post Games.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the design of Lee Valley White Water Centre. Following a visit to Sydney’s successful white water centre, which regretted not building a second, gentler course to expand their market, the Authority decided, in conjunction with British Canoeing and a group of funding partners, to pay for the creation of a second white water course to complement the rapids of the Olympic Standard Competition Course. This became the Legacy Loop, a 160m course which could act as a training ground for canoeists and kayakers while they developed the skills and experience to tackle the more demanding 300m Olympic Standard Competition Course. For the Authority this second course was key to future proofing the venue, broadening participation and developing new talent in paddlesports.

Shaun Dawson, chief executive, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

I contributed to early feasibility discussions on bringing the Games to London and was part of the bid team in Singapore. Myself and colleagues have influenced the planning and design of a sustainable sporting legacy for London 2012 and I’ve led the Authority in the delivery of three of the most successful Olympic legacy venues in the world.

10 years since London 2012 and the Legacy Loop has played a crucial role in producing a new generation of champions and broadening our market.

While commercially, leisure rafting has been the key to income generation, sport is at the heart of what we do. Lee Valley White Water Centre offers a development pathway from first time paddler on the still waters of the open lake to building confidence and technique on various sections of the Legacy Loop and eventually tackling the challenging rapids of the Olympic Standard Competition Course.

Several of British Canoeing’s current junior and senior athletes were home grown at Lee Valley White Water Centre, having never been on the water prior to the Games. The ability to identify talent and fast track athletes through the sport and onto the world stage has been made possible thanks to the Legacy Loop which has played a crucial role in producing a new generation of champions, such as Bethan Forrow, from nearby Cheshunt who was handpicked for British Canoeing’s talent programme at just 16 and now represents Great Britain.