2012 Olympic training base will cost £400,000

Nov 5 2008 by Andy Richards, Birmingham Mail

THE city’s bid to offer a training base to the US Track and Field Team in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympic Games will cost more than £400,000, it was confirmed.

The majority of the figure – £205,000 – represents the provision of security for the visiting athletes.

A further £52,920 is the estimate for the cost of flying the team from America to Birmingham.

Marketing, PR and media costs will be £56,000, while the bill for a sports development programme in local schools is £50,000.

The cost of providing training venues, including Alexandra Stadium, is £25,000.

City Council leader Mike Whitby said Birmingham would benefit from substantial favourable publicity – and the economic impact of having the camp in the city could be as high as £6 million.