City to cash in as Olympic teams to set up base here

Date Published: 05-May-2011

By Dara Bradley

Galway is positioning itself to ‘cash-in’ on the 2012 Olympic Games in London by luring participating country’s to set-up their pre-Games base here, as well as attracting to the city the ‘overspill’ of tourists visiting the English capital before and after the event.

The Galway City Tribune has learned that the Chilean Olympic team are currently considering using Galway as a pre-Olympics’ base for training and acclimatization before the Games begin in August next year. ‘Feelers’ about setting up camp in Galway City, which is a short hop to London and has a similar climate, have also been sent out to other countries including Brazil and Kenya.

The drive to attract Olympic teams to Galway is being spearheaded by Glenlo Abbey Hotel’s general manager Brian Burke, who heads a sub-committee of Galway Chamber, which was established in early 2010 with a view to boosting tourist numbers.

The Chamber’s sub-committee produced a document outlining the advantages to teams of locating in Galway and this was distributed to a dozen or more foreign ambassadors and embassy staff of participating countries.

Chile was the first country to ‘bite’ and this week the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Galway Chamber that the Chilean Olympics team are considering using Galway as a pre-Olympics base for training and acclimatization.

The Chilean Ambassador to Ireland has asked for further information in relation to the proposals that its national team would spend the weeks prior to the Games in Galway.

“It’s still early days but we’ve managed to put Galway on the agenda and on the radar of participating countries,” said CEO of Galway Chamber Michael Coyle, who is optimistic about getting a positive response from the Chilean team and others.

Mr Coyle said the sports facilities at the NUI Galway campus at Dangan, would be ideal for smaller participating teams – it has the Kingfisher gym, synthetic running track, international hockey pitches, basketball courts as well as ample space for meeting rooms and buildings for indoor pursuits such as gymnastics. Accommodation close to the facilities at Corrib Village could also be offered.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.