The British Olympic Association (BOA) revealed amid much fanfare in January 2007 that Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre had been selected to host a pre-Games preparation camp ahead of bids from four candidates, including Loughborough.

But opposition had been growing to the Aldershot base, particularly from UK Athletics because head coach Charles van Commenee wants to take the team abroad to avoid the pressure he expects in the build-up to London 2012.

It was insidethegames that first revealed last November that the BOA planned to scrap Aldershot and re-evaluate their plans.

The BOA has now created a new partnership with Loughborough University, which will act as the central focal point of an innovative network of facilities serving the 26 Olympic sports for the 2012 Games, although it is unclear how many sports will actually base themselves there before the Games.

Besides athletics, British Cycling have made it clear that they plan to make their own arrangements before the Games.

David Brailsford (pictured), the performance director of British Cycling, said: "The flexibility provided by the BOA’s 2012 preparation camp strategy is to be applauded.

"We fully intend to create a successful satellite preparation camp for Britain’s cyclists, as we did prior to the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, when we prepared in Newport, Wales."

But badminton, handball and triathlon are among the sports that have said already that they plan to base themselves in Loughborough.

British Handball performance director Lorraine Brown said: "Our players will be preparing for their first Olympic Games, so the vast Olympic experience that the British Olympic Association can bring to the table is very important to us.

"Participating in the Team GB headquarters camp will give our athletes the unique experience of preparing in a multi-sport environment, such as the one they will be met with when they enter the Olympic Village."

The new plans are the result of a strategic review by the BOA, carried out with the National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of Olympic sports.

The structure is based on one main camp, the "Headquarters", based at Loughborough, supported by a series of "Satellite" camps, both in the UK and overseas.

In the months immediately preceding the 2012 Games, the BOA will base some of its support services at Loughborough, including the kitting out operations.

It is intended that all members of the team for London 2012 will pass through Loughborough University for the official kitting out process.

This will provide the essential opportunity to bring together the hundreds of athletes and officials into one collective unit and mentally prepare the whole of the team for competition at the largest scale multi-sports environment in the world, the BOA claimed.

As part of the process, the BOA has conducted an extended review of potential partners, including Aldershot - a partnership between Rushmoor Borough Council, the Army and Aspire Defence – and the University of Bath.

Plans to use Aldershot crumbled almost as soon as Simon Clegg (pictured), a former Major in the Army, quit as chief executive and was replaced by Andy Hunt.

But it is anticipated they, alongside many other outstanding sporting facilities in the UK, will play a key role as satellite partners.

Hunt said: "Our number one priority is to ensure that Team GB athletes have the best possible preparation environment immediately before the Games in 2012.

"We are delighted that Loughborough University will partner the BOA as Team GB’s preparation HQ.

"We’re confident Loughborough’s excellence in the field of sport will be of huge benefit to Team GB’s aspiration of securing fourth place in the London 2012 medal table.

"As host nation, we face unique opportunities and challenges.

"We’ve worked with our sports to review the best way to help them prepare for the Games, and it’s clear that different sports need different facilities provided at a variety of different locations.

"So that is what we are focused on delivering.

"We are grateful to both the Aldershot Partnership and the University of Bath for their continued commitment to partnering with the BOA and Team GB as we prepare for London 2012.”

As well as the BOA, Loughborough University will also host the Japanese Olympic team in the weeks prior to the 2012 Olympic Games.

The co-location of two major teams will create a unique environment, with Loughborough likely to have the highest concentration of Olympic activity outside the capital, officials at the University claimed.

A partnership agreement, signed with the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) in June last year, has already seen the two organisations working closely together on academic research and teaching activity. Japan’s Olympic sports teams will also be using the University’s world-class facilities for training camps and final preparations before competitions in Europe from now until 2012.

A spokeswoman for Loughborough University told insidethegames: "This new arrangement does not affect our relationship with Japan.

"We have been in touch with them and both parties are happy about the arrangement."

Loughborough, where London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe and world marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe studied, claims to have the largest campus of any European university equipped with world-class performance facilities across a multi-range of sports.

Further development work is due to take place over the next two years in the run-up to London 2012.

The University also claims to have the best integrated sports development environment in the world and is home to some of the country’s leading coaches, sports scientists and support staff.

It is able to offer training for 22 of the possible 26 sports and disciplines that will be on the London 2012 programme.

Professor Shirley Pearce, the Vice Chancellor of Loughborough University, said: "We are delighted that Loughborough University has been selected as the headquarters of Team GB’s preparation camp.

"The University has been the base for the preparation of around 170 British Olympians over the past 30 years, and many of the country’s 2012 contenders are already using our state-of-the-art facilities. 

"Today’s announcement is confirmation that Loughborough offers the best possible Olympic preparation environment for many of Team GB’s sports."

Andrew Lloyd, Rushmoor Borough Council's chief executive, said that while he was disappointed with the decision to scrap the plan to use Aldershoot, the local authority would continue to work to build an Olympic legacy for 2012 and beyond.

He said: "We are pleased the BOA has recognised that Aldershot is still important to the success of the 2012 Olympics and indeed, when it made its original decision, it acknowledged the excellence of our local sporting facilities.

"But the Olympics are about much, much more than just the Games.

"We have a unique opportunity to build on the legacy of London 2012 and many of the building blocks are already in place to ensure that happens."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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