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2012 Team Recovery Centre

 

2012 Team Recovery Centre

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AOC
2012 Team Recovery Centre

A school close to the Olympic Stadium in the 2012 Games host borough of Newham is to play an important role in the hopes of athletes from Down Under as they go for gold next year.

A school close to the Olympic Stadium in the 2012 Games host borough of Newham is to play an important role in the hopes of athletes from Down Under as they go for gold next year.

John F Kennedy School in Stratford, just a stone's throw from the Olympic Park, will be the recovery centre for the Australian Olympic Team.

The school is a special needs school for pupils aged three to 19. It boasts a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool which will be used as part of a seamless and holistic recovery support program for Australian competitors in the Olympics and Paralympics next year.

Members of the Australian Olympic Committee, including triple Olympian and Sydney 2000 gold medallist in swimming Chris Fydler and Sydney 2000 modern pentathlete Kitty Chiller, visited the school in Pitchford Street on Monday (August 8) to see the facilities.

Nick Green, the 2012 Australian Team Chef de Mission, said: “We are very pleased to have signed an agreement with John F Kennedy School. Not only is the short distance between the school and the Athletes Village very attractive but it offers facilities that our Olympians can use as they recover from and prepare for events.

"We are grateful to the school and to Newham Council for providing us with such a fantastic facility and we are very much looking forward to creating the Australian Team’s recovery centre together.”

Under the agreement the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) will link the school to the Australian Team website, provide access to educational materials linked to the AOC and the 2012 Games, arrange twinning with an Australian school and set up visits to the school by prospective Australian Olympians.

John F Kennedy School head teacher Diane Rochford said: “We have some fantastic accommodation that will provide the perfect options for Games-related recovery.

“This is a marvellous opportunity for our school. We want our children to be a part of the Olympic experience and benefit from the legacy of the Games that will continue beyond 2012. This is a great opportunity to fulfill that.”

The Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: “I am delighted to welcome the Australian Team to Newham. I predict many other countries will follow Australia’s example by basing themselves in the biggest Olympic borough during the Games.

"Two thirds of the London 2012 Games will take place in Newham. About 6.5 million visitors are expected to attend the Games and four billion people will watch the opening ceremony on television. Truly, the eyes of the world will be upon Newham and we believe the facilities we can offer are second-to-none.”

As well as the AOC, teams from the USA, Japan, Nigeria and Singapore, have already agreed to use accommodation in the borough.

AOC and London Borough of Newham

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