Could your sports facility host Olympic athletes? (From Chard & Ilminster News)

Could your sports facility host Olympic athletes?

11:30am Thursday 31st August 2006

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PEOPLE in charge of sporting facilities in the Chard and Ilminster area are being encouraged to apply to host national teams in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Managers of sports facilities in the region who believe their swimming pools, football pitches and race tracks meet the high standards required for hosting a training camp can submit an application. They may then be in with a chance of being included in a special guide produced by London 2012.

National Olympic and Paralympic Committees will each receive a copy of the guide to UK sporting facilities to help them select the best place for their athletes to train and prepare for the competition in seven years' time.

Potential candidates for hosting training camps will need to show they can offer:

* an exclusive training environment

* world-class training facilities

* similar climatic conditions / time zone as Games' venues to allow athletes to acclimatise comfortable but affordable accommodation

* food appropriate for training athletes, available at times to suit training schedules access to a hospital with an A&E department and advanced scanner technology

* local suppliers of cars, mini-vans and coaches for transport between accommodation and training venue

* security for athletes and support staff proximity to airports or easy access to transport networks

Guy Lavender, South West England director for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, said: "We must make the most of the opportunity to host teams prior to the 2012 Games. I would strongly encourage bosses of individual sports facilities across South West England to apply. This will inevitably be a demanding process, but we have top-class facilities across the region that would provide excellent training bases."

Submissions will be collated through the Nations & Regions Group (NRG) prior to submission to the London 2012 organising committee, who will use the NRG's input to inform their selection of the final facilities for inclusion within the guide.

Timeline Jan 2007: Deadline for submissions from facilities May 2007: NRG submissions provided to London 2012 organising committee Jan 2008: Final selection made by the London 2012 organising committee for inclusion in Pre-Games Training Guide July 2008: Guide distributed to National Olympic Committees and National Paralympic Committees To find out more about the requirements, the process, and to submit an application, click on the link below.

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