FORMER Olympic medallist Brendan Foster has officially opened a new £30m centre dedicated to the science of sport.

The former athlete carried out the ceremony at Northumbria University's new Sport Central sport, teaching and research unit, which was completed last year.

The centre includes laboratories to analyse athletes' gait and nutrition, along with a 60m, four lane sprint track, performance analysis suite, climbing wall, swimming pool and 3,000-capacity main arena which is home to the Newcastle Eagles basketball team.

It is fitted out with specialist motion capture cameras, used by researchers for rehabilitative treatments and analysis of sporting performance.

The long distance runner, who won bronze at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 before going on to set up the Great North Run, said: "Sport Central is a wonderful facility for Northumbria University.

"The equipment and technologies available for research, teaching and general fitness are outstanding and will be of huge benefit to students and staff here.

"With the 2012 Olympic Games just around the corner, it is fantastic that Sport Central provides budding athletes and sports men and women in the North East with the opportunity to train with leading experts in a world-class venue."

Northumbria's Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor Andrew Wathey, added: "As well as enhancing the health and wellbeing of students and staff, it provides high-quality facilities for the University's research in physiology and sport science, and supports its outstanding teaching and learning in these areas.

During yesterday's ceremony, guests were treated to demonstrations of the centre's golf simulator, as well as viewing water polo, climbing and fencing.