Campus lures Olympians

Olympic athletes are expected to set up a training camp near Southwell for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst campus has been included in the pre-London training camps guide that will be given to equestrian teams competing at the games in Beijing this year.

The university’s head of animal and equine sciences, Miss Heather Owen, said: “We have a good quality equestrian centre with indoor and outdoor schools, stables and paddocks.

“Brackenhurst is the school for animal sciences and being included in the guide places us as one of the best equine facilities in the country.”

Miss Owen said that having Olympic competitors at Brackenhurst could be beneficial for the students.

She said: “Hopefully it will mean that in the future we can develop some links with other international sporting organisations.

“Obviously we are slightly restricted by the students in terms of what we can offer so we don’t interrupt their education however, I’m sure competitors that did come here would be able to fit in with these parameters”

Miss Owen thought Brackenhurst was a good location for an Olympic team.

She said: “A lot of equestrian centres nearby run competitions in the three equine disciplines — dressage, show-jumping and cross country — so athletes would be able to practise at these events.”

The Olympic competitions will be held at Greenwich Park, London.

Miss Owen said: “The bigger teams would come a year or even two years before the Olympics to do some training and go home again.

“The smaller countries might come a lot nearer the games, even just a month before.

“Equestrian sports are different because you have to cater for the horse as well as the rider and the horse needs to acclimatise.”

Miss Owen thought having an Olympic team training would have a positive effect on tourism in Southwell.

She said: “It is a very attractive place that people would want to visit and it won’t just be the riders who come to the town.

“There will be the trainers and vets and grooms who are involved, so it could potentially increase tourism in Southwell and help to really put it on the map.”

The chairman of Southwell Tourism Partnership, Mr Roger Dobson, said: “The fact that there’s such a major event as the Olympic Games having a group come to Southwell will no doubt bring visitors to the town.”

The British Olympic equestrian team will train with the rest of the British Olympic team at the Aldershot Army base in Hampshire.