Greene King to sponsor Rwanda 2012 Olympic team

THERE are just less than nine months to go until the 2012 Olympic Games and this week the Rwandan National Olympic Committee has  announced that Greene King, the UK's leading pub retailer and brewer, will be the official sponsor of the Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic Games Teams as their teams prepare for London 2012.

The Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic Pre-Games Training Camp will be based at the West Suffolk Athletics Arena at Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in summer 2012.

The sponsorship agreement between the Rwandan National Olympic Committee and Greene King will enable the Olympic and Paralympic athletes to take part in the Games Training Camp. The funds will assist the team with their training equipment and official uniforms for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The funds will also go back into development of sports in Rwanda.

It is expected that a team of around 18 officials, coaches and assistants will be training in Bury St Edmunds for the Olympics, including up to six athletes in the fields of cycling, swimming and athletics. In the Paralympics, three athletes in the fields of athletics and power lifting plus the sitting volleyball team are expected to compete, together with seven officials in support. 

President of the Rwanda Olympic Team, Dr Charles Rudakubana was thrilled that Greene King will be supporting the Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic teams, noting: "The Games Training Camp in Bury St Edmunds is vital for our athletes. It will allow our athletes to acclimatise to the British environment, by training in the climate in which they will be competing. The facilities in Bury St Edmunds are first class and our athletes will be able to train right up until they compete in London."

Dr Rudakubana added: "We are very grateful to Greene King for their generous sponsorship of the Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic Teams and extremely pleased that our elite partner is based in Bury St Edmunds, the home of our Games Training Camp."

 Dom South, Marketing Director of Greene King Brewing and Brands, said: "We are delighted to welcome the Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic Teams to our home town as they train and prepare for the Olympics.  We wish them well for the Games and will support them as well as team GB."

The President of the Rwanda Paralympic Team, Mr Dominique Bizimana, said he hoped that like Greene King, which delivered record-breaking results this year, the Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic teams will be breaking records at London 2012.

 The President went on to say: "Our athletes will be thrilled with the support Greene King has offered and we look forward to training in Bury St Edmunds next year. We believe that the Pre-Games Training Camp in Suffolk will enable us to optimise our preparation for the Games and to know that the people of Bury St Edmunds and the borough of St Edmundsbury will also be supporting us is truly wonderful."

What do you think of the link up with Rwanda?