Birmingham woos JOA

Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

With the next Olympic Games in London nearly three years away, the Jamaican athletic contingent has already begun to attract suitors wishing to host the team in the run-up to the event.

Among the interested parties, England's Birmingham City has presented a bid to the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), which would see the Jamaican athletes hosted at the University of Birmingham in a move aimed at not only capitalising on the team's popularity, but also strengthening cultural ties between the countries.

Very confident

"We know there is a lot of competition, but we are very confident in Birmingham. We have excellent facilities, a great track, proper throwing areas, plus indoor facilities in the event of inclement weather," Steve Hollingsworth, Birmingham City Council assistant director for Sport, told The Gleaner at company's North Street office yesterday.

"We also have brand-new built accommodations for the team. They would be able to walk to the training facilities without having to travel and that creates a real team feeling, which will be very important in terms of their mental preparation."

Impressed by the presentation

While acknowledging that several parties have been showing an interest in hosting the team, general secretary of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC), Neville 'Teddy' McCook, admits to being impressed by the Birmingham City presentation for the 2012 Games.

"There are several locations in England and Scotland that we have been invited to train and they are all fairly good offers, but we will try to make our decision quite early," he said.

"I was fortunate last year to visit the facilities at the annual Birmingham Indoor Championships, had a full tour of the facility and I must say that I was quite impressed with what they have to offer," said McCook.

"I can definitely state that all in all, everything can be found on the campus and that would facilitate the accommodation and training facilities as we prepare for the Olympic Games."