A new £3.5m sports facility has opened at the University of Winchester in Hampshire.

Work on the Winchester Sports Stadium started in July 2007 and was completed earlier this month.

The new stadium, located at Bar End in the city, boasts an eight-lane, Olympic standard 400m athletics track which has already been shortlisted as a potential training location for overseas teams in the run-up to the 2012 games in London.

Winchester Sports Stadium also offers supporting facilities for field events, as well as an all-weather hockey and general sports pitch with floodlighting. A pavilion at the site is currently being extended and is due to be completed in November.

Tommy Geddes, the pro-vice chancellor of the university, said: "Winchester Sports Stadium is set to be the hub for outdoor sport in the Winchester area. It's a facility that should see a step change in sporting activity."

The University of Winchester was responsible for managing the project with funding coming from Winchester City Council, Hampshire County Council and Winchester and District Athletic Club. A further £900,000 was awarded to the scheme through a Sport England grant, while the Norwich Union Community Sports Fund provided £12,500 to help purchase equipment.

The portfolio holder for heritage, culture and sport in Winchester City Council, Cllr Patricia Stallard, said: "In an Olympic year, we could not be putting out a more positive signal about our shared commitment to healthy lifestyles.

The stadium will be operated by the university and reserved for the use of university sports club on Wednesday afternoons, but open to the community at all other times.