GUERNSEY could host some of the world’s elite sportsmen and women ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Guernsey Sports Commission are looking into the possibility of applying to be included in the Pre-Olympic Training Camp Guide in which facilities that the organising committee have approved as providing a suitable training environment in the UK are listed by location and by sport.

That will be made available in 2008.

The island’s sports development manager, Graham Chester, revealed that once London’s bid to host the Games was successful, the commission had been exploring ways of getting involved.

‘We have been looking at things right from the outset,’ he said.

‘It would be good for the island.’

The pre-Olympic training camp bases should provide such things as an exclusive training environment, world-class facilities and similar climatic conditions to the Games venues.

Other things that have to been taken into account include accommodation, catering and medical support.

Initial applications to be included in the guide need to be in by the end of January with the final publication going to nations at the 2008 Beijing Games.

‘It is probably not that glamorous for some places that would be used to hosting top sportspeople, but if we could get in that guide, it would be quite a coup,’ Chester said.

‘If we could say that we have got facilities that have been recognised by the London 2012 organising committee, it would be a good advert for the island.

‘The European countries would train at home, I would expect.

‘It is going to be mainly African and Asian countries who might pick it up,’ he added.

There are 26 Olympic sport categories and 19 Paralympic with several of those grouped together.

Judging by the guidelines, Guernsey would not be able to provide a training base for all sports, but the island has facilities to cater for several of them.

‘Looking at the guidelines for each sport’s requirements, I think we have got a chance of being able to host quite a few of those,’ Chester said.

‘There are some criteria we do not meet. For example, we could not host hockey because we do not have a water-based pitch nor could we have aquatics because it requires a 50m pool.

‘Sports such as athletics, badminton and table tennis are possibilities, though.’

However, individual sports’ governing bodies would need to give their blessing to the idea and make their facilities available.

‘The sports are going to have to buy into it. As a commission, we cannot force them into it,’ Chester said.

One top athlete backing Guernsey as a training venue is former European 400m champion Du’aine Ladejo who was amazed by the Foote’s Lane facilities while competing for Birchfield Harriers in the recent Blue Islands British Challenge Cup.

Ladejo, who has competed at Olympic level and around the world for many years, said of Foote’s Lane: ‘It’s the best training facility environment I’ve been to. That’s no kidding,’ he said.

‘It’s absolutely perfect for training.

‘The [track] surface is right and stadium perfect,’ added the man who uses the impressive Eton home of the Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow club as his training base.

‘I think yours is even better than that at Windsor, Slough and Eton.’

Foote’s Lane upgrade puts us in different league to Jersey

* GUERNSEY’S top notch athletics facilities are undergoing a £20,000 facelift from today.

While our sister island’s track and field venue at FB Fields has come under criticism from Jersey’s development officer, more money is being spent on the Foote’s Lane track laid in 1993 and totally relaid for the 2003 Island Games.

Starting today, it is having a two-week intense deep clean.

A specialist team from the UK has come over and they will use equipment that fires high-pressure water into the surface. The machine then immediately vacuums up the liquid.

Because the clean is so thorough, the track will then have to be relined next week. It will be back in action by 24 September.