The double Olympic 1500 metres champion is touring the North-West today having appeared at a fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester yesterday.

 

Coe this morning visited Preston's West View Leisure Centre and met several youngsters, including 18-year-old swimmer Daniel Sliwinski, winner of the 100m at the World Youth Championships in Monterrey, Mexico earlier this year.

 

Coe said: "First you have to identify talent and there is clearly a lot of talent here and potentially, on every street in this country.

 

"Secondly you need to have good coaches and the coaches here from the swimming club are first class.

 

"You also need good facilities and while there are facilities here, I will of course back the calls for a 50m pool here in Preston.

"The message has been received loud and clear and I will keep pushing for that."

North-West officials believe that building Lancashire's first Olympic-sized swimming pool would be a tangible legacy for the area from the 2012 Games.

Sliwinski said: "It is great to hear that Lord Coe has said he will support our bid for a 50m pool because if we got one then I would probably reconsider giving swimming up after the 2012 Olympics.

"There is a lot of pressure on me to succeed but I like the pressure and love competing.

"Meeting Lord Coe was fantastic and I have met more famous people in the last few weeks then I ever have.

"I recently met Michael Phelps and that has given me the inspiration to make it to London 2012."

Coe is due to travel to Crewe this afternoon where he will meet meet a number of the region’s athletes, including Warrington-based John Stubbs, who won a gold medal in Paralympic Archery, and former world gymnastics champion Beth Tweddle, as well as Sir Philip Craven, the President of the International Paralympic Committee.

Coe said: “The athletes, coaches, facilities and programmes I’m visiting today provide a springboard for Olympic and Paralympic success in 2012. 

"They are also the foundations for building a Games legacy that will provide long term benefits to people in Preston, Crewe and around the region for years to come.”

 

Andy Worthington, the chairman of the North-West Steering Group for the 2012 Games, said:
“It is wonderful that Seb is visiting the North-West to see some of the excellent sporting facilities we can boast, celebrate our returning athletes who did so well in Beijing and meet our aspiring young athletes for London 2012.

 

"The fantastic success and excitement of Beijing provides a taste of what we can expect in four years’ time and the timing of this visit so soon after Beijing is ideal.

 

"The North-West is already embracing the spirit of the Games and the great opportunities that come with them.”