June 26 - Loughborough University, the former home of London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe, will play a role in the preparations for London 2012 after being selected by UK Athletics as one of two training centres.

 

Loughborough has been selected along with Lee Valley Athletics Centre in London as Performance Centres for the 2012 London Olympics.

 

The decision was made by UK Athletics' Olympic Task Force and, with the backing of UK Sport investment, the centres will provide British athletes with top-quality facilities and support staff.
 

It means the two centres will now become the primary focus for investment in world-leading coaching and support staff, facilities and equipment in the lead up to 2012.

 

Existing high performance centres in Birmingham and West London will continue as regional training centres alongside Sheffield, Cardiff, Bath and Manchester.

 

There had been fears that Loughborough would be overlooked as a national centre despite having produced more top athletes than any other university in Britain.

 

Besides Coe, the 1980 and 1984 Olympic 1500 metres champion athletes who have studied there have included world marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe and Steve Backley, the three-time European javelin champion.

The current crop of athletes is led by Lisa Dobriskey, who finished fourth in the 1500m at the Olympics in Beijing last year, and 20-year-old Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, the former youth and world 100m champion who is considered one of Britain's outstanding hopes for a medal gold at London 2012.

 

Charles van Commenee (pictured), UK Athletics' head coach, said: "It has been a thorough process, but we have decided that Lee Valley and Loughborough will become the 2012 Performance Centres where we will concentrate most of our resources in these crucial next few years.

"Lee Valley and Loughborough are already good centres for performance sport.

 

"But 'good' is not good enough.

 

"If we want to win Olympic and World Championship medals, we need 'excellence'. We will make these centres world-leading environments of excellence."
 

Increased sports science and sports medicine support, and an agreement that extends to include research support from the University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (SSEHS) and Sports Technology Institute (STI), will ensure Loughborough remains at the forefront of supporting Britain’s athletes for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond.

 

Loughborough University Vice Chancellor Professor Shirley Pearce said: “We are delighted to enter into a new chapter of our relationship with UKA.

 

"Their long-term commitment to a Loughborough base will enable us to work closely together to take athletics forward in the UK.”
 

As part of the new agreement, both organisations have committed to working together for at least the next 10 years as well as further integrating their athletics programmes through joint strategic planning. 

 

Loughborough University Director of Sport Chris Earle said: “This is a significant step up in our partnership with UK Athletics in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

 

“It’s a real boost for the athletes, coaches and support staff currently based at Loughborough as well as those who will move here over the coming months. By working even more closely with UKA we will strengthen our already successful athletics programme and give British athletes the best chance of success in 2012.”

 

The £16 million centre at Lee Valley is the training base for several of Britain's top athletes, including Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu and controversial sprinter Dwain Chambers.

 

Part of the money to build the centre was provided by the Government after they failed to keep a promise to build a stadium on the land to host the 2005 World Championships.

 

There will be further announcements on the restructuring of the UKA performance department over the next fortnight, including two experts who will be named centre directors for Lee Valley and Loughborough.