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Official agreement cements Team USA’s stay at UEL

Monday 11 October 2010

Alan Ashley, USOC Chief of Sports Performance shaking hands to close the deal with Nirmal Borkhataria, UEL Executive Lead for Olympics Games

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the University of East London have completed the signing of their legal agreement for Team USA’s Games-time training base for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

Team USA will use both the UEL Docklands and Stratford campuses which are located close to many of the main Games venues. More than 1,000 Team USA athletes and staff will use UEL’s state-of-the-art facilities in the partnership on a daily basis throughout, prior to, and throughout the Games in London.

The organisations signed a provisional partnership document in January 2010, but both the size of Team USA, and an additional amount of facilities to be used at UEL, has been increased.

The final agreement between the two organisations was signed during the USOC’s Annual Olympic Assembly in Colorado Springs, headquarters of the USOC.

The UEL campuses will be Team USA’s main base for athlete training, performance services, staff and training partner accommodation, catering, media, and logistical operations for the London 2012 Games.

As part of this agreement, Team USA will be utilising UEL’s new £20 million Sports Centre at the Docklands campus. Provisionally named the SportsDock, the facility is due to open in late 2011. UEL has extended its initial design of the facility so that it now includes two large indoor sports arenas, a large fitness suite, outdoor sports pitch, sports cafe, and covered seating for 400 people. After the Games, the site will be a venue for University sport and local community participation.

UEL’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Patrick McGhee, said: "This is a major coup for the university and testimony to the quality of our current and projected cutting-edge training and support facilities for sport. It is a tremendous honour for the institution to play host to Team USA’s world-class athletes and confirms our credentials as a focus for sporting excellence."

This agreement directly relates to UEL’s commitment to support the legacy aspirations of the university after the London 2012 Games.

USOC Chief of Sports Performance, Alan Ashley, said "This will be a good opportunity for us to have a home on the ground in London for training, for medical services and for a variety of our Team USA operations, and it will enhance the chances of many of our athletes to perform to the best of their abilities in London. 

"We look forward to working with the excellent staff and using the great facilities at the University of East London," he added.

Paul Ford, Director of Olympic and Paralympic Partnership Operations at UEL, who has spent time working with the USOC to coordinate the 2012 Games-time base, said “To complete this exciting partnership with the USOC not only shows their commitment to provide the best service for their athletes, but also shows how good the facilities are at UEL. This will act as a significant platform in allowing UEL to achieve its goal of becoming one of the premier university’s for sport in the UK".

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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