The 'factory for sport' has been created to provide world-class training and support facilities for elite athletes, but also offers access to the facilities to promising youngsters and the community.

It also includes the EIS Box 100 support centre, providing athletes with coaching, sports science and sports medicine backup.

The governing bodies for boxing, boccia and judo have already announced the centre will be a major base for Olympic and Para-Olympic preparation and other bodies, including athletics, are expected to use it to hold world class squad training camps.

Roger Draper, chief executive of Sport England, said: "Sport England's mission is to get more people to start playing sport and to have more success on the international stage.

"EIS Sheffield enables us to fulfil this mission as it provides world class facilities for the entire sporting spectrum - from the playground to the podium."

EIS chair, Steve Cram, added: "I am heartened by the buzz EIS Sheffield has already created among athletes.

"The word on the street is that the facilities are what they have been waiting for."

The institute has been designed by architects, FaulknerBrowns, who recently designed the EIS North West High Performance Centre in Manchester and the EIS National Swimming Pool at Loughborough University.

The company is currently working on the NEM Sportcity Regional Arena in Manchester - due to open next year - the EIS National Sailing Academy in Weymouth - due to open at the end of 2004/beginning of 2005 - and the Omnisportcentrum in Apeldoorn in The Netherlands - due for completion in 2006.