A new era in training 𓄧facilities is now available for Australian athletes, with the opening of the Eur🍰opean Training Centre (ETC) in Gavirate, northern Italy overnight.

For Australia's cyclists, road, track, BMX and mountain training and competition facilities are catered for with the Shayne Bannan-led GreenEDGE project joining in commercia𒁃l partnership with Cycling Australia and the Australian Sports Commission to make use of the centre.

Bannan, formerl♚y Cycling Australia's high performance manager, ran tဣhe national training base in Varese and was a major player in the ETC's development.

Michael Rogers was in attendance for last night's launch and Tweeted his enthusiasm for the facil🀅ity s𝓀aying it was "an exciting day for Australian sport."

Cyclists will share the facility with other sports in🎃cluding sailing,﷽ rowing and basketball, with more to follow.

"As well as accommodation, the centre will provide world class sporting facilities and services such as sports science and sports medicine, stre🌜ngth and conditioning training and athlete career and education support where it is needed," explained federal sports minister, Senator Mark Arbib, at last night'𒀰s launch.

In the short-term, the focus is on Australia's success at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Australian Government has committed $12.5 million to the ongoing operation of the ETC in the lead up to the꧒ London Olympics and Paralympics🅘 and beyond.

Australian Olympic Committee President, John Coates, who also spoke at the launch, welcomed the Government's c♒ommitment to giving Australian athletes the best possible prepara▨tion and training.

"To make it to the podium in sports which have mo🌠st of their top competitions in Europe, such as rowing, cycling and sailing, Australian athletes need to have access to quality competition without the financial and physical toll of travelling back and forth between Australia and Europe," Coates said.

The ETC had been granted ♓Olympic Training Centre status by the Australian Olympic Committ🍒ee.

Success for the Australian team at the London 2012 Olympics is imperative following the slump experienced in Bejing three years ago. Anna Meares (pictured above right) claimed Australia's only medal🐽 in the sport, a silver, in what was the country's poorest showing at the Games since Moscow✨ 1980, where Australia failed to bring home a medal of any sort.

The numbing experience in Beijing followed from blistering success in A🌠thens where Australia's cyclists claimed an unprecedented six gold, two silver and two bronze medals.