Birmingham Close To US Athletics Deal

Birmingham is close to signing a deal with the US athletics team to use the city
as a training base in the build-up to the London 2012 Olympics.

Birmingham, which hosted the European Indoor Championships this weekend,
boasts a high-performance athletics centre and is seen as the premium choice for
the US team.

Stephanie Hightower, chairwoman of USA Track & Field, confirmed that the
two parties are close to reaching a deal.

Hightower said: ‘The USA track and field team has been coming to Birmingham
to compete and train for many years and we are very happy with the facilities
and infrastructure that Birmingham has.

‘We know this city understands the needs of our athletes and have every
confidence in the Birmingham team being able to meet our needs. Our athletes
know the city and feel at home here and this is an important factor in our
choice of a venue for a training camp.’