The Northern Territory Institute of Sport (NTIS) will play a key role in the preparation of Australia’s athletes competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Several sports are planning training camps at the NTIS to allow their athletes get used to the heat prior to leaving for Beijing.

Hockey, clay target shooting and athletics have indicated a desire to stage pre-Games camps in the territory. Other sports are likely to follow their lead.

The 2008 Olympics are being held in August, one of the hottest months of the year in China. Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) President John Coates said ‘Acclimatization was vital to our success in Athens in 2004. Our teams that spent time in the heat of the Northern Territory and Europe definitely had an edge when they arrived in Athens and 40 plus temperatures.’

 Head coaches of the different sports are attracted to the top end by the training facilities, the weather and the proximity of Darwin to China which eliminates tiredness caused by a long flight.

The NTIS has this week signed a new agreement with the Australian Olympic Committee where the institute continues to be officially recognised as an Olympic Training Centre.

NTIS Director Lindsay Ellis said ‘A key focus of the NTIS is to assist Territory athletes with the opportunity to represent Australia at the Olympics. The on-going agreement highlights the cooperation between the AOC and NTIS to promote and support such programs for athletes preparing for the Olympic Games.’

Under the agreement NTIS and the AOC will jointly provide advice and support for all institute scholarship holders who participate in sports on the Olympic program.

‘In the future, the NTIS looks forward to working more closely with the AOC. Recognition as an Olympic Training Centre will help profile the role of the NTIS as well as the endeavours and success of the NTIS scholarship holders as they strive for Olympic selection.’

‘We are also very keen to continue our work with national teams preparing for competition in hot environments such as prior to the Athens Olympic Games. With the climate in Beijing likely to be hot and humid Darwin and the NTIS could once again be a focus for Olympic preparation" Ellis said.

Coates also praised the NT Government for their continued support of NTIS.

‘Our state institutes and academies continue to develop young athletes who are competing at the elite level. They could not do this without government support’ Coates said.

The AOC which does not receive government support but has budgeted $17.8 million to prepare our team for 2008 and another $11.5 million just to send the team to China.