Work on a new Olympic sized pool at Brisbane’s Sleeman Sports Complex began today with contractors diving into construction.

Queensland Sport Minister Phil Reeves, Federal Sport Minister Senator Mark Arbib and State Member for Chatsworth Steve Kilburn marked the start of construction.

'This is the single largest investment at Sleeman since its opening prior to the 1982 Commonwealth Games,' Mr Reeves said.

'The addition of the second four metre deep, 50 metre Olympic-sized pool puts Queensland in the race to bid for major events such as National and World Championships.

'Queensland swimmers make up more than half of the Olympic swimming squad and the additional pool is a boost for our professional athletes and for the community.'

The new pool will also be home to the southern hemisphere’s first water-based ski jump facility that will be open 12 months of the year.

'The Australian Government wants to ensure our winter athletes have the best possible facilities to help produce the next aerial skiing star to follow in the footsteps of gold medallists Lydia Lassila and Alisa Camplin,' Senator Arbib said.

'The National Water Jump Training Centre will provide Australia’s top athletes with a competitive advantage as it will be the only facility of its kind in the world accessible all year round.

'This state of the art facility will benefit a number of winter sport disciplines, including aerial skiing, moguls and snowboard, all of which require the acrobatic skill development available at this new facility. Each of these disciplines has a current Australian Olympic medallist and we want to continue that great record.'

Mr Kilburn said the addition of a new pool complemented other significant upgrades currently underway at the Sleeman Sports Complex.

'More than 840,000 people use Sleeman every year and the new pool and water jump facility, along with the new BMX track that is nearing completion, are set to keep the complex at the forefront of sports development in Australia,' Mr Kilburn said.

'The total upgrade for the new pool and water-based jump facility is $12.5 million.

The Queensland Government is contributing $8.5 million for the construction of the pool, and an additional $2 million towards the construction of the jump facility.

The Australian Government will match the state’s $2 million investment in the jump facility, and is in addition to the $923,645 in funding provided for the Olympic Winter Institute program each year for both AIS program support and National Talent Identification and Development. Skiing also received a $1 million allocation of high performance funding.

The swimming pool is scheduled for completion in late 2011.