Grabbing an Olympic chance

OLDHAM cannot sit back and expect the opportunity to act as a training base for elite international athletes to “land in its lap”, the Culture Secretary has warned.

The town must go out and fight to host Olympic teams ahead of the 2012 London games in a very “competitive environment” Andy Burnham insisted.

The cabinet minister dismissed accusations by a group of MPs that the Government may have raised expectations “beyond a reasonable level”, after earlier this year it unveiled a line-up of approved sporting facilities.

Mr Burnham said: “It’s all about the strength of the local offer. The countries are there to be persuaded, but you have got to go out there and persuade them. ”

Among the sites that secured a place in the Pre-Games Training Camp Guide, deemed appropriate by Olympic organisers, was Radclyffe Athletics Centre.

Oldham council cabinet member for leisure John McCann said: “We would be delighted if we could support the Olympics. But we would need money to come from Government for maintenance of the track —when you are talking about an extra £100,000 to make sure it is in top condition, it is a lot of expenditure.”