British water polo team to train in Blanchardstown

THE
British water polo team are to move to Dublin 15 in the run-up to next summer’s
Olympic Games for training at the National Aquatic Centre.

The
British team visited the centre in March to check out the facilities and
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar, announced last week
that they had decided to use the facility for Olympic training.

“The
British team was so impressed by the National Aquatic Centre they have decided
to come back to Ireland to train for the London Olympics,

? he said.

“The
fact that the British water polo team has chosen Ireland, and the National
Sports Campus in Blanchardstown in particular, for its pre-Olympic training
demonstrates what a magnificent world class facility we have at the National
Aquatic Centre.

?

The
British water polo team will use the NAC for a two-week training session in
July 2012, immediately before the London Olympics.

The
development is a direct result of international matches between the British and
Hungarian water-polo men’s senior squads held at the NAC earlier this year.

The
news was also welcomed by Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael
Ring, who chairs the Government department’s Inter-Agency Committee which is
promoting Irish involvement in the London Olympics.

“I’m
delighted that the committee’s hard work is once again bearing fruit,

? said
Minister Ring.

“We
have already secured the US Olympic synchronized swimming squad and the British
paralympic swimming squad, which will both be using the NAC as a training base
for the Olympics.

“The
Inter-Agency Committee will work right up to the Olympics. As well as seeking
to attract national teams to train in Ireland, we are staging Irish cultural
events in London, and promoting Ireland as a destination for Londoners hoping
to escape the Olympics.

?