But officials believe that the Midlands city could reap up to £6 million in benefits from the team, who are likely to be among the highest-profile of any athletics squad, staying there.

 

The majority of the figure, £205,000, represents the provision of security for the visiting athletes.

 

A further £52,920 is the estimate for the cost of flying the team from America to Birmingham.

 

Marketing, PR and media costs will be £56,000, while the bill for a sports development programme in local Birmingham schools is £50,000.

 

The cost of providing training venues, including Alexandra Stadium, which hosted the British Olympic trials earlier this year, is £25,000.

 

City Council leader Mike Whitby said Birmingham would benefit from substantial favourable publicity and the economic impact of having the camp in the city.

 

The figure is a calculation of the value of publicity and the spending of the visiting team in shops, restaurants and hotels.

 

The deal for the US to be based in Birmingham was first agreed in March 2007 and a memorandum of understanding was signed in February 2008.

 

A formal agreement between Birmingham and USA Track & Field is expected to be signed later this year or early next.

 

Birmingham officials have also been in discussions for several months now with Jamaica about them basing their athletics team, including Olympic 100 and 200 metres champion Usain Bolt and former world record holder Asafa Powell, there in the build-up to the 2012 Games.

 

They are also speaking to teams from Barbados, China and India.