Sport for Leisure – exercise A – key

1 The long-awaited opening of Boxton’s new Leisure Centre finally took place this week.

‘Await‘ is a rather formal verb, meaning ‘wait for’. You may hear a station announcement saying ‘passengers awaiting the London train on platform 3……" We need an adjective here, and could not use ‘wait for’ here without naming a subject who has done the waiting, and then a long digression – for instance ‘The opening of Boxton’s new Leisure Centre which locals have been waiting for for a long time …. finally took place this week."

2 Matthew Pinsent, Olympic and World Rowing Champion, was there to cut the ribbon and declare the centre officially open.
3 The manager, Rosemary Harris, has praised the complex, saying its design, by architect Richard Howe, had far exceeded all expectations.

to exceed all expectations is to surpass what had been expected

4 Thanks to generous sponsorship from the local council, the centre is able to open daily and for longer hours than previously.
5 The programme of activities has been broadened to appeal to a wider range of people than before.
6 Although the centre was only declared open this week, behind the scenes activities have been up and running for several weeks.

If sth is up and running it means operational, working, happening.

7 All areas of sport, with the exception of cycling, have already been represented and activities begun.
8 Cycling is, however, due to receive attention in the very near future, having attracted serious separate funding from the Sports Council.