Wales to play host to London Olympic hopefuls.

With the focus for the 2012 Olympics being firmly centred on London, it's good to hear of places within the UK profiting from the Games that don't lie within the magic home counties catchment area. 

It is now highly likely that the Team GB track cycling team will be using Wales for their pre-Games training camps, utilising the facilities at Newport's Velodrome instead of Manchester. The same is true of the Paralympic track cycling team. 

According to the BBC, neither Welsh organisers nor British Cycling were prepared to confirm or deny this move, but no fewer than five other countries competing in the 2012 Games have expressed a firm intention to base themselves in Wales. 

Cardiff will be home to the Trinidad and Tobago camp, with president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committe Michael Romany expressing "After considering many options for our training location in the UK, we are very pleased with our choice of Cardiff."

Meanwhile, the Irish Triathlon team will be preparing themselves in Swansea, while the Chinese weightlifting team will be based in Bangor. 

For the Paralympics, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will be using Cradiff, Swansea and Newport as well. 

Head of pre-Games training in Wales, David Evans said "We have near enough 1000 athletes, coaches and support staff coming to Wales. We are very pleased with where we are at this moment in time, with a year to go before the games."

He is hopeful that at least some of the majority of countries who have yet to decide where to base themselves will choose one of Wales' 32 different available venues.