22 January 2008

More than 6,000 miles from home and under the glorious blue skies of a South African summer British athletes have begun their preparations for an Olympic & Paralympic year.

Two hours south of Johannesburg, at the largest ever UKA warm weather-training camp in the small university town of Potchefstroom, 37 Lottery funded athletes are benefiting from sport science, medical support, state-of-the-art facilities and sun.

Whether on the plush grass track at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds, at the PUK-McArthur Stadium or in the gym at the North West University High Performance Institute, individuals are putting in the hard work that will lay the foundations for success at this year’s Olympics or Paralympics in Beijing.

Training up to three times a day, the 27 able bodied and ten disability athletes have full access to UKA and English Institute of Sport coaches and staff who cover strength & conditioning, physiology, physiotherapy, nutrition, soft tissue and medical therapy and support.

Replicating the atmosphere and conditions of one the four UKA High Performance Athletics Centre back at home, the camp for the Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland team has the firm backing of the athletes.

As well as training, athletes prepared for coping with the heat and air pollution in Beijing, undergoing physiological testing to develop hydration strategies.