Grant encouragement for Olympic training in UK

Olympic and paralympic teams will be awarded grants totalling around £9m (€13.4m) to encourage the use of UK-based training camps ahead of the London 2012 games, organisers announced today.

The UK pre-games Training Camp Grant scheme will enable all 203 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the 161 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) to apply for credit of up to £26,000 (€38,800) towards the cost of preparing their athletes at UK-designated camps.

“We have always been serious when we said that we wanted the London 2012 games to be the sporting experience of a lifetime for all competing athletes,” said London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe.

“Our grant plan is one example, but an important one, of how we plan to honour that pledge and place the welfare of athletes at the very heart of planning for the games.

“That is our commitment to the world’s athletes and we won’t let them or their countries down.”

The grants will encourage National Olympic and Paralympic Committees to train in the UK rather than abroad, in order to maximise games-related benefits for London and the UK.