Island nations sign up for Olympic dream (From This Is Cheshire)

Island nations sign up for Olympic dream

8:48am Tuesday 18th November 2008

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THEY may be better used to sandy beaches and more well known for rugby, but a group of athletes will be swapping the South Sea Islands for the north west in the run up to London 2012.

A group of 15 nations from Oceania (from the biggest Papua New Guinea to the smallest Micronesia) signed a historic deal to base themselves in the region at Warrington’s Village Hotel on Friday morning.

The agreement will see athletes take advantage of training venues across the area, including Warrington, in the lead up to the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games which take place in Glasgow in 2014.

And with Thailand already signing up and bigger names set to follow according to bosses, hopes are high the region will benefit from the much criticised games.

Former Olympic triple jump champion and still world record holder Jonathan Edwards says the announcement shows how 2012 will benefit the whole UK.

He added: “I have always been positive about the benefits 2012 will bring for the whole of the UK.

“And this is a concrete example of that happening.

“It does show that all those aspirations we had in Singapore (where London was awarded the games) are coming to fruition.”

The games have been criticised for cost and only benefiting London and just this week, Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell came under fire after reportedly saying the country would not have put a bid forward in the current economic climate.

But Mr Edwards says the games will actually provide a boost.

“We have already had business contracts signed and in this current economic situation there is a lot of money being spent.”

And as one of the stars of the Commonwealth Games held in Manchester six years ago he said he wished he was still competing in 2012.

He added: “We have got some great athletes in this country, as shown by Beijing and they really don’t know what is in store.

“I would have loved to compete in London.

“It was a wonderful evening (in Manchester) and London can be just as good.”

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