THE London Olympics will present Tidworth with an unrivalled opportunity to put itself on the map as the training base for an international Olympic team in 2012, Tidworth Town Council heard.

The standard of the town's sporting facilities has already been assessed by one international sporting body and found to be good.

With its swimming pool, high tech running track, planned equestrian facilities, hockey pitch and £10 million leisure centre all within five minutes of appropriate accommodation Tidworth is close to achieving the standards set by Bath and Loughborough Universities which are almost guaranteed to be Olympic hosts.

Colin Brown, from Kennet District Council, said that work on a brochure promoting the town as an Olympic destination highlighted the area's first class sporting facilities, which had already impressed assessors.

"The English Cricket Board didn't know that Tidworth existed but after they were shown the facilities decided it will be a centre of excellence for the south east and the south west and that Hampshire may decide to use it," he said. "We won't know until after the Beijing games in 2008 whether someone will pick Tidworth or not.

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