altTRAINING FACILITIES chosen by London 2012 to be part of its pre-Games training guide for overseas teams have reacted with delight at being included.

 

Leading the celebrations was the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, who welcomed the news that 96 sports centres and facilities across the Capital have been selected to appear.

 

Out of the 96 training venues selected in London, two thirds are from non-Host Olympic Boroughs, spreading the benefits of staging the 2012 Games across the city, Livingstone claimed.

 

Out of the 36 Olympic sporting disciplines, London is offering to provide training facilities for 28 of them, which include a mixture of major and specialist centres including universities and schools, community facilities, and sport specific clubs.

 

Livingstone said: "This shows what an excellent range of sporting facilities is currently available to Londoners and which might in 2012 be used by some of the world's greatest athletes.

 

"London is well ahead with construction of the 2012 Olympic Park and its plans for the regeneration of east London and the 2012 legacy is also being felt with a whole range of opportunities for Londoners to obtain training and develop new career changing skills.

 

"That nearly a sixth of all Pre-Games training facilities have been selected in London shows the breadth of facilities already available across the capital.’

 

John Brewer, chairman of the London Sports Board said: "It is a tribute to Sport England that the Guide highlights so many sports facilities available to both elite athletes and the community which have investment through Lottery and Community Club Development Programme funding, examples of such facilities in London include Brunel University in Hillingdon, St. Mary's University College in Richmond, the Score in Waltham Forest and Redbridge Judo Club.

 

"We are delighted to have created a backbone of world standard sports venues not just in London but throughout the country."

 

Lynn Davies, the 1964 Olympic long jump champion, was pleased so many facilities across Wales had been included.

 

There are 31 in the guide.

 

The Australian Paralympic team are already set to base themselves in Cardiff and Wales for 2012. 

 

Davies said: “It’s very important that Wales feels a part of London 2012.

 

“It’s only two hours away, and yet sometimes we see it as ‘London’s Olympics’.

 

“My feeling is that it’s an Olympic Games for all of us – for Wales, Scotland and Ireland too.

 

“Something I’m trying to do is encourage countries to come to Wales in the run-up to 2012.”

 

Davies believes the athletes would benefit from spending time away from London’s Olympic village and training in South Wales, enjoying the leisure and cultural facilities offered there.

 

In turn, it is hoped young people from South Wales will be inspired by the athletes’ presence.

 

Davies said: “By watching them train, youngsters can see these guys are not super-human, they’re just ordinary people who work very hard.”

 

The National Assembly Government has already produced its own brochure to promote the Welsh facilities available to athletes.

 

Writing in it, Cardiff-born Olympic silver medallist Colin Jackson said the Games were a great opportunity for Wales.

 

The former world record holder for the 110 metres hurdles wrote: “We have a huge head start.

 

“Wherever you go in the world if you mention the Millennium Stadium, they know exactly where you’re talking about.

 

“So, when you suggest coming to train in Wales, people make the link between the country and sport, and when you’ve got that tie-in, people take you seriously.”

 

Heritage Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas welcomed the inclusion of the Welsh training facilities in the new UK brochure.

 

He said: “I’m confident that the hard work going on behind the scenes will lead to more teams taking advantage of the world-class facilities we have here in Wales.”

 

In Liverpool, the Wavertree Sports Park, which includes the city’s new aquatic centre, were unveiled as part of the guide  along with the Park Road Sports Centre in Toxteth, where former world champion gymnast Beth Tweedle practises.

 

Tweddle, who has been training at the sports centre since the age of 12, said: “The centre is definitely one of the best facilities in Europe and I’m sure it will attract Olympic teams for training.

 

"It is one of only a handful of centres to provide hard and soft training grounds.

 

“This is essential, because during pre-training athletes need softer surfaces to avoid injury.

 

“I’m sure countries being given this guide will consider Liverpool because it’s in the right time zone to acclimatise and I think financial benefits are also going to be offered to train in the UK.

 

“When I trained in Barcelona, during our half-days off it was a good 30 minute ride into town, here, the city of Liverpool is right on the doorstep with all its museums, social scene and culture.

 

“The Olympic teams tend to pick one location where all the teams can train.

 

"Liverpool has lots of sporting venues to accommodate the various teams, for example we have two huge football stadiums, lots of sports halls for fencing and netball and lots of boxing gyms.”

 

Liverpool Aquatics Centre in Wavertree, which aims to compete with the best pools in the country, is due to open onMarch 15.

 

Council Leader Warren Bradley said: “This is a fantastic boost just weeks before the opening of the pool and I am absolutely delighted.

 

“Not only will it be a training base for our own team of elite swimmers it will also play host to some of the top sporting nations as they prepare for the 2012 Gmes.

 

“It will also inspire future champions.”

 

The state-of-the-art facility will be one of only a handful of Olympic-size pools in the UK.

 

It is three pools in one, with the main pool designed to be divided in two, plus another 20-metre pool.

 

Jane Glaister, Bradford Council's strategic director of culture, tourism and sport, was also delighted at the inclusion of four venues from their area.

 

Three sports facilities in Bradford and one in Ilkley, covering 11 sports, are among 51 in the region to be included in the London Organising Committee's guide, which was revealed today.

 

The successful venues were Bradford City Football Club, Bradford College, Richard Dunn Sports Centre and Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club.

 

Bradford City is being promoted for football, with the College listed as a place to train in basketball, judo, indoor volleyball and wrestling; Richard Dunn is hoping to attract teams for badminton, basketball, boxing, fencing, rhythmic gymnastics, judo, table tennis, indoor volleyball, wrestling; while Ilkley Tennis Club could be a training camp for tennis.

 

Glaister said: "Being able to provide pre-games training camps will put Bradford on the sporting map and demonstrate our commitment to the London 2012 Olympic Games."

Martin Havenhand, executive chairman of the Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games, said: "I am delighted Yorkshire has a strong presence in the training camps offer for the 2012 Games.

"Attracting national olympic committees to base their pre-games training camps in the region is not only important for sport but has real benefits for business, tourism, our communities and culture."
 
Eight venues in Bedfordshire - including Rowney Warren near Shefford - were confirmed, part of 65 across the East of England.
 
Cambridge, Essex, Hertfordshire, Anglia Ruskin and Bedfordshire Universities are all included, offering world-class facilities and, in many cases, sports science and sports medicine support.
 
Top professional clubs in the East make an appearance, with Norwich City and Ipswich Town offering preparation facilities for 2012's football teams, while archery is being catered for at Essex County Cricket Club.

A number of venues funded by the National Lottery through Sport England are also listed including the Ipswich Gymnastics Centre and the award-winning Whitlingham Outdoor Education Centre in Norwich which will offer training areas for canoeing and triathlon.

Chris Perks, regional director of Sport England East commented: "The Guide highlights the number of superb facilities available to communities in Bedfordshire and throughout the Eastern region.
 
"It is heartening to see the investment in sport made by Sport England through the National Lottery paying off.
 
"Hosting Pre-Games camps will give us the chance to showcase these and other superb facilities to teams from across the globe."

Judy Terry, who is responsible for culture and leisure at Ipswich Borough Council, said: “This is a huge boost for Ipswich.
 
"The Borough council and its Team Ipswich partners have been working very hard for many months to try to ensure the town and surrounding area take advantage of the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.

“This latest announcement, approving the short-listed facilities of Northgate Sports Centre, the Ipswich Gymnastics Centre, Ipswich Town FC, Otley College, Bentwaters and Alton Water is very welcome and proves that we have some first rate venues.
 
"These and many more are highlighted in the official Team Ipswich brochure, which we will be sending around the world in order to attract training teams.
 
"This will be published later this month.”
 
Also in the East of England, Colchester's application to be included as a potential training camp was put together by the Colchester Partnership for London 2012, which includes key partners in the Borough such as Colchester Borough Council, the University of Essex and the Army.

They claim that the key strengths of the application were the co-ordinated approach taken by these partners; the specialist sports facilities within the Borough such as the Garrison track and the Martial Arts Centre; the accommodation and sports science support provided at the University; and the good location of the town, close to both the Olympic village in Stratford as well as major entry points into the UK including Stansted airport. 

Kevin Bentley, Colchester Borough Council's Olympic Champion said: "This is a fantastic achievement for Colchester, which demonstrates the breadth and quality of our local facilities.

“Securing a training camp will be great for the town in many ways, with the potential to boost both tourism and business as well as helping to inspire our own young people through the provision of such strong role models.

“Our application to host a training camp is just one of the many ways in which the Colchester Partnership is looking to secure a lasting legacy from London 2012 for Colchester."
 
Stephen Castle, Essex County Council’s cabinet member for the 2012 Games, said: “I would like congratulate all the venues which have secured a coveted a place in the official guide.
 
“Hosting a visiting team can provide many opportunities, particularly through boosting the local economy in terms of bringing in spending power.
 
"This is a fantastic opportunity for the facilities and the local community and will help put Essex on the map.
 
“Central to the Games is the spread of excitement, inspiration and tangible benefit and this latest boost for our sporting venues will help us achieve our vision to create a powerful legacy which has a positive impact on every person in our County.”
 
Rockingham Triangle stadium, the Corby East Midlands International Swimming Pool, Kettering Leisure Village, Moulton College, Rushden & Diamonds' Irthlingborough Stadium,with its sports hall, two training pitches and all-weather pitch. in Northamptonshire should help give the East Midlands a strong chance of attracting a team.
 
Chief executive of Corby Council Chris Mallender said: "This is fantastic news for Corby and it fully vindicates our bold decision to invest in building the pool and upgrading the athletic track to independent standards.

"It is a great opportunity for everyone in the borough to share in what we hope will be a fantastic experience in 2012.

"I am delighted the investment has paid off.

"Our next task is to make sure we have an Olympic athlete from Corby competing, and we are making an announcement about training grants and bursaries soon."