This Is Cheshire

Olympic medallist says Games will offer UK a golden opportunity

From the Guardian Series, first published Thursday 10th Mar 2005.

AN OLYMPIC gold medallist, who attended a local school, believes staging the 2012 Games in Britain will produce more homegrown, world-beating athletes.

Ben Ainslie, 28, (pictured) said it would boost interest and investment in school sport.

"The London Olympics would be huge for sport in Britain and especially for future generations," he said. "I don't know any sports people who don't think an Olympics in their home country would be fantastic." Olympic yachtsman Ben, formerly of Goostrey, emailed the Knutsford Guardian from his new home in New Zealand.

The former pupil of Terra Nova School in Holmes Chapel said Britain would first have to prove that future generations would benefit from a London Games.

"The hard thing with any Olympics is making sure the infrastructure and investment can be used for years after the event itself," he said. "But I am sure the British bid has that aspect well covered.

Olympic cyclist Emma Davies, of Lower Peover, recently told the Guardian that a London Games could leave the country with a lasting legacy.

She said a British Olympics would help under-funded sports to compete against multi-million-pound businesses such as football.

Ben has won two gold medals and a silver at the Olympics and was awarded an OBE after last year's Olympic Games in Athens. He is currently sailing for Emirates Team New Zealand and hopes to compete for them in the Americas Cup in two years.

Britain's joint most successful yachtsman then wants to go for gold again for Britain in sailing's Finn class at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

But Ben is confident that four years later the next games should be back in his home country. "I think London can win the Games because it has a really well planned bid."

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