London 2012 could benefit York sport
York University could be in line to receive a huge financial boost to improve its sporting facilities with the economic benefits of the London Olympics in 2012 looking likely to be felt all around the country.
In fact Sport England and Yorkshire Forward estimate that the London games could result in a windfall of up to £600m for improvement of sports facilities within the Yorkshire region. Obviously Leeds and Sheffield are favourites to receive a large percentage of this, but with a range of existing facilities in place at York, including the University, Huntington Stadium and the sports science department at York St John, there is optimism that both the city and more importantly the University could hope to get a share of the funding.
The Active York Partnership, which includes representatives from the university, will lodge a bid to get York considered as a city which would host one of the visiting nations and provide the training facilities for top-class athletes in the build up to their events in London. According to Charlie Croft, the city council’s director of leisure, this would mean perhaps hosting “not one of the biggest nations, Russia or the USA or China, but one of the slightly smaller ones, maybe a European country such as Spain.”
If such funding were to materialise it is highly likely that it would be put towards the sporting facilities planned in the controversial Heslington East devlopment, which could potentially include a sports village.
