Claude Robillard Centre
The Claude Robillard Centre is an example of early legacy planning by the Organising Committee for the Montreal Olympic Games and is still being used by athletes of all levels 50 years on.
Though built to accommodate the handball and water polo competitions at the Games, the facilities were also designed to offer long-term benefits for local people by providing them with a community sports complex once the event was over.
The centre’s Olympic-sized swimming pool was an example of this forward planning in that it could be divided to create a shallow area for beginners. The multi-sports hall was also a flexible space, with its permanent synthetic flooring suitable for a host of sports, such as volleyball, basketball and badminton. The centre’s facilities also include an athletics track, tennis courts, baseball pitches and a diving pool with a 10-metre platform.
Re-opened in 2009 following extensive renovation work, the complex is an integral part of the City of Montreal’s portfolio of sport and recreation facilities and is used extensively by Montreal residents. A training venue for around 20 clubs and 250 elite athletes, it has produced several Olympic gold medallists, including sprinter Bruny Surin and short track speed-skaters Marc Gagnon and Nathalie Lambert.
The centre is the headquarters of Excellence Sportive de l'Ile de Montréal (ESIM), which has been supporting high-performance sport in the Montreal region since 2013. Sports Montreal, whose mission is to encourage young people to take up sport, also has its offices there.