If you thought the 2012 Olympics were all about East London, think again. Wandsworth’s “excellent sporting facilities” mean it’s in the running to become a pre-Olympics training camp for athletes from Barbados.
Barbados’s national Olympics committee visited London recently to scope out potential training locations and were impressed with what they saw in Richmond’s neighbour Wandsworth. This included specialist sports institution Ernest Bevin College, the Barn Elms Sports Centre, Battersea Park’s Millennium Arena, the Battersea Youth Sport Centre and the Tooting Bec athletics track.
If the training athletes do select an area local to Richmond they will remain in South West London prior to the Olympics to complete crucial final preparations before the Games begin.
Sarah McDermott, Wandsworth Council executive member for environment and leisure, said that the athletes staying in the area would be of "great economic and cultural benefit" to the community.
She added: "With the range and quality of the sporting facilities we have [in South West London], we are very confident that we can attract an ambitious and high-achieving team."
Fingers crossed that the Barbados team do choose Wandsworth (or even better that they look next door and choose Richmond!) – but let’s hope that the British team is ambitious and high-achieving too!
