Lincolnshire2012

WITH two years to go until the London Olympics, Poole is gearing up to ensure it takes full advantage of any opportunities.

As neighbouring Weymouth, a mere 32 miles distant, is hosting the sailing competition in 2012, the borough sees this as a “fantastic opportunity” for the town to get involved.

And four pre-games training camps are on offer, Parkstone Yacht Club for sailing, archery at Canford Park, gymnastics and trampolining at Rossmore Leisure Centre and beach volleyball at Sandbanks.

“The estimated media market audience for the Olympics 2012 is 5.2 billion providing an unmissable opportunity to promote Poole as a popular location for watersports, hub of business and commerce, place with a significant artistic and cultural offer and a key transportation route to Europe,” said a report by Borough of Poole leisure services. “The games are during August with the Paralympics in September and the towns should be busy anyway at that time,” said Graham Richardson, Poole’s tourism manager.

“With the Olympics coming now the expectation is the area would fill up with visitors,” he said. “We are also looking to benefit if we can, from hosting people involved with the Olympic movement.”

He said there were opportunities for local businesses to supply goods and services and they wanted to ensure that everyone was aware of the prospects.

And the council had the opportunity to take advantage of cultural, social and sporting legacies alongside the economic.

“We don’t just want to focus on 2012 and forget about it but build on the opportunities and raise the profile of sporting activities,” he said.

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UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee is adamant that Britain's athletes will prepare at an overseas training camp ahead of the Olympics.

London 2012 chairman Lord Sebastian Coe believes GB's athletes might benefit from training in a familiar environment in the run-up to the 2012 Games.

But Van Commenee, 51, insisted: "That's his view, I don't agree with that.

"My Australian colleague who was in charge at Sydney 2000 had some advice for me - 'Don't prepare at home'."

For the 2008 Beijing Olympics the British Olympic Association set up a holding camp in Macau in the Far East.

Four years earlier athletes prepared for the Greece Olympics in Cyprus, while in 2000 a pre-Olympic camp was held on Australia's Gold Coast.

For major events, such as the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, GB athletes have traditionally prepared at a holding camp in Monte Gordo in Portugal.

Van Commenee thinks Britain's athletes will benefit from preparing away from the anticipated intense media scrutiny as well as taking advantage of the Mediterranean's warm weather.

"I am not running away from the pressure," added Van Commenee.

"You have to embrace the pressure but you also want to be in a quiet environment where you have a guarantee of good weather and don't have your cousin chasing you for tickets."

British Swimming is also planning to set up an overseas base.

The BOA has looked at establishing a pre-2012 camp at Aldershot's army barracks.

"We have looked at a number of sites and we will work with all sports to come up with the best solution for them," a BOA spokesman told BBC Sport.

"Details of our preparation camps are still to be formally announced."

The track and field teams of both the United States and Jamaica have signed deals with Birmingham City Council to prepare for 2012 in training camps in the Midlands city.

Van Commenee was named as national head coach of UK Athletics in September 2008, when he took over from Dave Collins.

The Dutchman guided Denise Lewis to the 2000 Olympic heptathlon gold medal and Kelly Sotherton to bronze in 2004.

As technical director of the Dutch Olympic Committee, the 50-year-old led his country to its second best Games medal haul at the 2008 event in China.

With a reputation for hard work and honesty, Van Commenee has been charged with reviving the fortunes of Britain's athletes ahead of the London Olympics after a poor showing in Beijing, when Team GB won four medals, falling short of its target of five.

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk

The London 2012 Olympic Stadium has reached its full height with completion of the first of its 14 lighting towers.

The erection of the 28-meter tower on top of the inner ring of the cable net roof takes the height of the stadium to 60 meters.

Olympic Delivery Authority chairman John Armitt says the lifting of the lighting towers "is a significant engineering and construction challenge ... complicated by snow, wind and rain."

USA Today

2012 London News and Information

Supporting Lincolnshire Sports Clubs to Support the London 2012 Games

The only place where success comes before the work is in the dictionary.
Over half of girls aged 11 to 16, would rather not do any Sport or Exercise!

2012 London News and Information

Supporting Lincolnshire Sports Clubs to Support the London 2012 Games

The only place where success comes before the work is in the dictionary. Over half of girls aged 11 to 16, would rather not do any Sport or Exercise!

The only place where success comes before the work is in the dictionary.
Over half of girls aged 11 to 16, would rather not do any Sport or Exercise!