Pacific Island Countries are ready to use Facilities in Preston

Countries from the Pacific Islands want their most promising swimmers to train at Preston Swimming Club in the build up to the 2012 Olympics in London.

Adrian Ibbetson the academic director of sport at UCLan says that “the Pacific island swimmers could train with the Gallagher squad at Preston Swimming Club because they have one of the best swimming set ups in the country.”

Despite this the swimming pool which Preston swimming club use at West View Leisure Centre is only a 25 metre pool and in the Olympics, competitors compete in a 50 metre pool.



Uploaded on February 23, 2008 by xiaming
Beijing 2008's National Aquatic Centre – 50 metre swimming pool

It seems strange that a country would specifically choose to use a swimming facility which does not match the length of the Olympic sized pool.
Although there are plans to build an Olympic size swimming pool in Preston, this is unlikely to happen in the near future.

Chief backing
In September 2008 Lord Sebastian Coe the organising chief of the London Olympics visited the city and threw his weight behind the plans.

He said “you need good facilities and while there are facilities here, I of course back the calls for a 50 metre pool here in Preston” (Preston Citizen website)

The British Olympic Committee is looking to build a strong future for sport in Britain. And to show people that the 2012 games will not just have a positive effect on London but on areas right across the country.

Lack of Facilities
Athletes which represent the Pacific Islands will have little or no access to swimming facilities in their own country.

So the facilities which are presently available in Preston are still considerably better than in the Pacific Islands.


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Profile of Pacific Island Countries

Fiji is made up of more than 800 volcanic and coral islands, the country enjoys a tropical climate and has become a popular location with tourists.





Uploaded on November 22, 2008 by tenagamon on Flickr.com
Shows why Fiji has become such a popular place with tourists.


The country relies heavily on the sugar and tourism industries for its foreign exchange. Although the economy is diverse with gold, silver and limestone all mined in the country.

Despite this Fiji has been hampered by its persistent trade and budget laws, which means it is one of the largest recipients of aid in the world.

Tonga is made up of 170 islands and it is spread over an area in the South Pacific roughly the same size as Japan.


The country is ruled by a king and supported my noble men. Also almost all Tongan’s are Polynesian.

Polynesian is a broad term used to describe the traditions and cultures of the south Pacific islands.

Old v New
Tonga is an eclectic country which blends modern life with ancient traditions. Tongan’s will typically watch DVD’s, download music and look at the latest international news and opinion on the internet.

But they still resolved issues in the traditional way, around a bowl of kava, while many still weave and wear sacred ceremonial robes.

Kava is a herbal ground root used to make a traditional Tongan drink. Kava is served by women and drunk by men every night in Tonga

The Independent State of Samoa was previously known as Western Samoa until 1997. It is made up of nine volcanic islands, two of which Savai’i and Upolu make up 99% of the land.

Samoa is a conservative country, the people are devoted Christians and life is centred on the extended family.

The family is headed by a chief who directs the family’s social, economic and political affairs and the church which provides a focus of recreational and social life

The economy revolves around fishing and agriculture although this can be vulnerable to cyclones and disease.



Uploaded on September 14, 2007 by troppo fishing adventures on Flickr.com -
This shows a Blue Marlin a common catch throughout the year in Samoa


Micronesia is in the western Pacific and consists of 600 islands, the islands occupy a very small land mass but are scattered over a large space, about five times the size of France.

In 1989 Micronesia signed a ‘Compact of Free Association’ with the USA. Under this agreement Washington took on responsibility for their defence.

This gave the US the right to set up a military bases and deny other countries access to Micronesia.



Lack of amenities
Despite aid from the US there are still high levels of unemployment in the country with many people forced to live without electricity and running water.

Papua New Guinea is part of the second largest island and is prone to volcanic activity, earthquakes and tidal waves. It is also the most diverse country with over 700 native tongues.

Isolation
More than three quarters of the population live in rural area with few or no facilities. Many tribes live in isolated mountain areas, having little contact with one another let alone the outside world.

Pacific Island Countries snap up Lancashire Sports Facilities as 2012 training Base

Fifteen Pacific Island countries are set to use sports facilities in Lancashire as their training base in the run up to the 2012 Olympics in London.

The officials from the Oceania National Olympic Committees were so impressed by the facilities that they want to their athletes to use them to train and prepare over the next three years.

Sports facilities to be used in Lancashire

Preston Sports Arena, Cottam

Myerscough College, Preston

St Augustine’s New Avenham Centre, Preston

Fishwick Recreation Ground, Preston

Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe

Edge Hill University, Omskirk

Anderton Centre, Chorley

The full list of Facilities to be used

Four of the sports facilities to be used are located in Preston these include, Preston Sports Arena, St Augustine’s New Avenham Centre, Fishwick Recreation Ground and Myerscough College.

Phil Walsh the assistant director of leisure and community services at Preston City Council says “when the (Olympic) bid was won we said that this would be a Games for the whole country.”

“Signing this agreement means Preston will get a piece of the action.”
Some of the countries which will be using the facilities in Lancashire are Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Palau, Gaum and Micronesia.

These countries are looking to send their swimmers, athletes, football teams and judo players to Lancashire to train.

Preston Sports Arena, one of the facilities to be used by the athletes

If everything goes according to plan the countries could return to use the facilities in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Adrian Ibbetson, academic director of sport at UCLan said “the international athletes will provide role models for the next generation of kids in Preston.”

He also said there could be an opportunity for students to go out to the countries to do work placements. This will enable them to gain valuable experience and skills which will help them in the future.