AUGUST 4 - A DELEGATION from Loughborough University is to visit the Beijing Olympics where they hope to persuade a leading nation to base themselves in Leicestershire in the run-up to London 2012

 

They will be particularly hoping to carry on discussions with Japan after a team of officials from Tokyo recently spent three-days touring the University's facilities.

 

Loughborough, where London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe and world marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe studied, have also previously had interest from China, the team that a number of cities are chasing, including Birmingham.

 

They are attractive because of the potential trade links that it is anticipated that they might also bring.

 

Loughborough claims to have the largest campus of any European university equipped with world-class performance facilities across a multi-range of sports with further development work to take place over the next four years in the run-up to London 2012, particularly in swimming, a sport in which the Japanese are traditionally strong.

The University also claims to have the best integrated sports development environment in the world and is home to some of the country’s leading coaches, sports scientists and support staff.
 
It is able to offer training for 22 of the possible 26 sports and disciplines that will be on the London 2012 programme.
 
It is also making much of its good international transport links and an estimated 80 minute journey into the Olympic Park by 2012.
 
Competition is beginning to hot up between the major facilities across the country to persuade the leading nations to base themselves in their cities and towns.
 
London 2012 plans to officially its Pre-Games Training Camp guide during the Beijing Olympics but a number of areas have already been pro-active.
 
These include Birmingham, who are due to host the United States track and field team, Bristol, who already have a deal to be the venue for Kenya's athletes, and Wales, which is close to reaching an agreement with Australia's Paralympic team.