On Your Marks! Bedford Borough to host teams from around the world ahead of London 2012
Paralympic athletes from across the world will start arriving in
Bedford Borough this month to start their pre-games training
camps.
By mid-August, approximately 170 athletes and support staff will
be living and training in Bedford Borough ahead of the 2012 London
Paralympic Games.
The first to arrive will be Senegal on 22nd July with Democratic
Republic of Congo, Uganda, Ghana and Gambia arriving in the
following four days. By mid-August teams from Morocco, Jamaica,
Pakistan, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Lesotho, Angola, Central African
Republic and the Canadian Goalball team will also be in Bedford
Borough.
With 14 countries expect to arrive in the next few weeks;
Bedford Borough will be hosting more full Paralympic teams than any
other town or borough in the country. Each of the visiting teams
has also been adopted by a local school, many of which will be
providing a welcoming party for their ‘team’ once they arrive in
the borough.
Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said: “The Olympic and
Paralympic Games are just around the corner and we are looking
forward to welcoming athletes from around the world to Bedford
Borough.
“When the teams visited Bedford Borough to decide where to hold
their pre-games training camps, they were impressed not just with
the excellent sporting facilities on offer but also with the
vibrant sense of community in the borough. The fact that we
are able to offer a welcoming base to so many Paralympians from
around the world and to play this important part in the games
should be a source of real pride for our Borough”
Councillor Doug McMurdo, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and
Culture, added: “By mid August we will have more than 170 athletes
and support staff from 14 countries living and training in Bedford
Borough and I am sure local residents will welcome them when they
start to arrive later this month.”
Howard Darbon, Coordinator, Pre-Games Training Camps for BOOST,
added: “BOOST was created to maximise the benefits which Bedford
Borough and the county as a whole could reap from the Olympic and
Paralympic Games and attracting nations to base themselves here was
a major part of that.
“There will be many ways for local residents to get involved
with the Games during the summer and we look forward to working
with local residents in the coming weeks and months.”
The majority of the athletes will be living in the student
accommodation at the University of Bedfordshire and training at a
number of venues depending on their sport and the facilities
required.