Sparc, the national funding body for sport, wants to establish the centre of excellence somewhere in New Zealand, a centre similar to that set up for rowing at Lake Karapiro near Cambridge. Sparc will subsidise the centre dollar for dollar up to $7 million, and a working group was established in Canterbury to try to bring the centre to Christchurch, and ideally, based at QEII. The biggest cost for the centre would be a velodrome, with a price tag between $15m and $20m. It is believed three other centres – Auckland, Palmerston North and Hastings – are interested in the proposal.