Councils across the UK are going for gold after their sports facilities were selected to help train future athletes for the 2012 Olympics. Gateshead International Stadium and Gateshead Leisure Centre are among those picked in the North East, as is the Rother Valley Country Park in Yorkshire. In Kent, 31 sports facilities have been chosen as pre games training camps. The London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games selected 600 facilities in all areas of the country to include in a guide to be distributed to teams during the Beijing Games later this year. The Olympic teams can then choose where they want to be based or train to acclimatise for the Games in 2012. Martin Havenhand, executive chair of the Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games, said: ‘Sport has long been one of our region's great strengths. ‘Attracting National Olympic Committees to base their Pre-Games Training Camps in the region is not only important for Sport but has real benefits for business, tourism, our communities and culture.'
