Lord Coe visits gymnastic centre

Lord Sebastian Coe paid a visit to the South Durham Gymnastics Centre in Spennymoor last week, as he toured some of the region’s top sporting facilities which will feature in the London 2012 Pre- Games Training Camp (PGTC) guide. The visit coincides with the news that the North East has begun exclusive talks with the Colombian National Olympic Committee regarding the use of the region’s facilities in the lead up to the 2012 Games. During the visit Lord Coe met with local young people, councillors and businesses benefiting from newlylaunched initiatives inspired by the 2012 Games. He said, "It’s been a pleasure to once again return to North East England to see the exciting work which is taking place. Achieving talks with Colombian team is great news for the region. The North East has excellent sporting facilities which could help the team prepare well for their competitions at the London 2012 Games. Hosting the Colombian team would also provide the North East with a great opportunity to get involved in our plans in the run-up to the Games." Lord Coe went on to visit Durham University where he met with representatives of all five North East universities which have formed the Sport University North East England (SUNEE) initiative, which aims to tackle social exclusion through sport. The London Olympics runs from 27th July to 24th August 2012, with around 17,000 athletes competing in 26 sports.