Italian Olympic team chooses UQ as pre-Games training base

The Italian Olympic team has chosen the University's St Lucia campus as its pre-games training base for the Sydney 2000 Olympics for track and field, fencing, softball and pentathlon.

Members of the Italian Olympic Committee visited the University of Queensland today to inspect pre-Games training facilities and sign a formal memorandum of understanding with University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Hay.

The delegation was headed by the Secretary General of the Italian Olympic Committee (Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano - known as CONI), Raffaele Pagnozzi. Other delegates included the Director of Olympic Preparation, Roberto Fabbricini, and Deputy Director of Olympic Preparation Michele De Lauretis.

Professor John Hay said Italian team members would stay at Women's and St John's Colleges.

"We're pleased that the Italian committee has selected Australia's University of the Year as the as a pre-Games training base," he said.

"The Italian team's decision to train at the University will mean an international focus, not only on the University, but also on Brisbane and Queensland."

The Italian team could comprise more than 500 people - depending on which teams qualify for Sydney 2000 - making it the fifth-largest team. Around 250-300 competitors will spend the two weeks before the Games at the University, and track and field competitors will stay during the first week of the Games before moving to the Olympic village.

An attraction for the team was the recently-completed $2 million, eight-lane, international standard athletics track at the University, the largest sporting project the University of Queensland has undertaken in recent years.

For further information, contact Professor Hay, telephone (07) 3365 1300, or Emanuel Klein, Attache Olimpico Sydney 2000, telephone (02) 9368 0444.