London Olympics organizers are ready to provide up to £10 million to improve the standards of the sports facilities that will be used by athletes during London 2012.
London 2012 will provide an upgrade fund of up to £10 million to all those schools, universities, sports clubs and leisure centres which will subscribe to the official Games-time training venue program.
Under the arrangement, London 2012 and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) will fund and manage these venues to make them palatable to the international athletes for training. The organizing committee has already entered into deals with 16 venues and is in negotiations with another 12. Most of the current signatories are football training facilities located outside of London and at a distance "not more than 30 minutes away" from the games village.
Redbridge Sports & Leisure Centre is the first venue to partner with the organizing committee. London 2012 chair Lord Coe, who was present at the signing, expressed his satisfaction over the Olympics preparations. "This is a tangible benefit of the Games because these upgrades will be available for use afterwards," he said on the occasion.
Olympics and Paralympic athletes from more than 200 countries will participate in the largest sports event of the world, which will start from July 27, 2010. The sports facilities, however, will be open from July 16, 2012, to help the athletes in preparing for the games.
The training venues will remain dedicated exclusively for the athletes' use until September 9, 2012, the last day of the Paralympics.
