Team GB swimmers will finalise Olympic preparations in the city of Yokohama after the British Olympic Association (BOA) signed training venue contracts with three facilities in Japan to secure Team GB’s multi-sport camp for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Yokohama International Pool will provide Britain’s swimmers with optimal pre-Games training in a world-class facility ahead of the Games (24 July to 9 August 2020).
Based in the Greater Tokyo area in the city of Yokohama, the swimming camp will contribute to the BOA’s biggest ever pre-Games preparation camp and be able to accommodate up to 90% of Team GB selected athletes for the Games .
The camp will allow athletes the opportunity to acclimatise and complete their final preparations for Tokyo 2020 just a short journey from the heart of Tokyo in dedicated venues.
The BOA has operated similar preparation camps ahead of Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016, with the latter hosting 380 athletes and officials from 14 sports, including swimming, in Belo Horizonte.
“We’re really excited about the agreement between the BOA and Yokohama. It’s a great facility and we’re looking forward to working with all involved in helping us with our final preparations ahead of the Tokyo Games."
- Chris Spice - British Swimming National Performance Director
“We will be in Japan in May of this year and will meet with our hosts again to make sure everything is set for us. Our plan is to go there for a British Swimming holding camp prior to the World Championships in Korea in 2019 which is the perfect practice ahead of the Olympic year.
“We thought the Team GB multi-sport holding camp in Belo Horizonte last summer worked really well for us and we expect Yokohama to provide the same psychological bounce into Tokyo in 2020.”
BOA Chief Executive Bill Sweeney, who was joined by Chairman Sir Hugh Robertson in Tokyo for the contract signing, said: “With three and a half years to go until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, it’s fantastic to already have agreed our first preparation camp facilities and we thank Keio University, Kawasaki City and the City of Yokohama for their support of Team GB.
“Securing world-class training venues for our athletes plays a crucial role in gaining those final performance advantages in the run up to a Games and being so close to the Olympic Village and Tokyo itself is a great boost for the team who will fly out in 2020. "
- Bill Sweeney - BOA Chief Executive
“From our experience in Brazil, we know the value in providing a world leading preparation camp with 21 medals yielded from athletes who travelled through Belo Horizonte last year as the camp played its part in Team GB’s history-making success. Still a number of years out from the Games, it’s terrific to see Team GB leading the way once again in being the most prepared delegation at an Olympic Games.
“We could not have found a better group of partners to support Team GB, build lasting relationships, and develop exchange programmes to engage their local communities and promote Tokyo 2020."