IN spite of doubts about China’s human rights record and fears of terrorist attack, the Beijing Olympics are proving to be an outstanding sporting occasion. From the spectacle of the opening ceremony – the impact of which was only marginally dulled by computer-enhanced fireworks and the miming of a song of welcome – to the swimming exploits of Michael Phelps, the accent has been on superlative displays and equally superlative performances.

We in Jersey are, of course, spectators of all this, but there are already signs that our involvement in the London Games of 2012 will be more substantial than many would have imagined. As work progresses on facilities in the capital, we have learned that the Island has been earmarked as a potential training camp for at least seven Olympic and Paralympic disciplines.
The international authorities have concluded that our facilities are up to standard for preparations in sports that include boxing, table tennis, sailing and athletics – an impressive feather in the cap of all those who have worked so hard over so many years to ensure that the Island’s sportsmen and sportswomen have had access to top-quality pitches, courts and other resources.
The action is still fast and furious in Beijing and the London Games are still a long way off, but if international sporting organisations and personalities choose Jersey for training purposes, we can look forward to seeing the world’s top athletes honing their skills and fitness at the closest of quarters.
It seems that the hard sell was not necessary to convince the decision-makers that Jersey will make an excellent training venue. We could, however, have pointed out that, in contrast to China, our air quality is second to none. We could also have promised that in terms of stability, security and the relative absence of crime, this Island sets the highest of standards.
Less seriously, we could even have promised the sailing fraternity that although we, like China, have green weed on one or two of our beaches, it has never, ever been known to interfere with a race, even Mirror dinghies ploughing through its fragile fronds with absolute ease.