University to host international Judo team for Olympics

The University of Wolverhampton is delighted to have been selected as a training camp for the Australian Judo team for this summer’s Olympics.

The Walsall Campus is a British Judo Association High Performance Centre and has been announced as a Pre-Games Training Camp (PGTC) for members of the Australian team.

The team expects to have six players qualify for the Games and they will be accompanied by two or three coaching staff.

They will arrive in mid-July and stay in the student village, which is next to the Sports Centre where the team will complete their final preparations for the competition.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Geoff Layer, said: “We are delighted to be hosting members of the Australian Judo team at our Walsall Campus.

“Our elite sports facilities will provide an excellent training base for the team’s final Olympic preparations and we’re really looking forward to being part of this historic event.”

Director of Sport, Mike Chamberlain, a former British Judo Champion and international competitor, said: “The University’s Walsall Campus offers the perfect environment for the Australian team, with the best judo training facilities in the country complimented by modern campus facilities to give them a truly excellent experience.

“The University Judo Club and its national level coaching staff very much look forward to working with the Australians and helping them maximise their medal chances during the games.”

The Walsall Sports Centre is one of only a few High Performance Centres in the UK, as recognised by the British Judo Association, and it develops judo talent for players of beginner, intermediate, regional, national and international standard.

The Gorway Road venue has significant experience of hosting judo events since it opened in 2004. These events have included competitions to national level, training camps to international level, and other sporting festivals.

London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) Chair Seb Coe has announced that over 200 Pre-Games Training Camp agreements have been signed throughout the UK in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The camps are arranged through formal agreements between facilities in the UK and National Olympic and Paralympic Committees (NOC/ NPC) and international teams. They provide athletes with a base from which to prepare, train and acclimatise ahead of the Games.

The PGTC agreements represent an opportunity for cultural exchange, education and engagement alongside provisions for international sporting teams.

ENDS

For more information please contact Vickie Warren in the Media Relations Office on 01902 322736