From Beijing to Bedford

Deborah McGurran Editor, Politics Show East

There are huge challenges, but the prize is massive Lord Coe

With the 2008 Olympics almost upon us, preparations for 2012 are well underway. In an exclusive interview, Lord Coe looks to the future plans in the run up to the event and we talk to two athletes in serious training.

But what will it all mean to this region?

Lord Coe, visited Bedford and said that "excellent progress" has been made.

The Chariman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, said: "Of all the regions that I've travelled to, I don't think I've witnessed the level of focus that I've witnessed in this region.

"I've never felt I've come here preaching to anything but the converted."

In this week's programme we look at how well our athletes are supported and visit the sites of the two Olympic events we will be hosting.

We also see some of the work being done behind the scenes to bring the world's greatest sporting event alive in the East.

The bids for the 2012 training camps are in - soon we will find out who are the winners and losers.

And we visit Bedford, the region's capital of sport and home to Olympian, Gail Emms.

Gail Emms won the silver medal in Badminton Mixed Doubles in the 2004 Olympics - this is her story about what it takes to get to the top.

---

You need money to get results but the lottery are saying you need medals to get money Gail Emms

The Olympic games is the greatest sporting event in the world.

It's amazing that it's going to be in London.

It's the chance to show that British athletes can go out on stage to show where they are in the world and hopefully it'll have a knock-on effect.

I want to go out there and produce medals for my country, I also have the pressure of my sport... we need medals to keep our funding, so in the back of my mind, not only do I want to win a medal, but I know that if I don't produce any medals, the funding will be lost for our 17, 18, 19-year-olds that are our future 2012 hopefuls.

It's a vicious circle with lottery funding.

In badminton we've been so lucky, we got a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics and we got this facility (National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes) built on that.

We were able to win a silver medal in Athens so we were able to get more and more money for future badminton players.

You need money to get results, but the lottery are saying you need medals to get money.

It doesn't work like that, if we want to be one of the best sporting nations we have to put everything that we can into our athletes otherwise they can't do anything, they'll always be struggling.

In general we're so backwards in our training facilities, we need something like the Olympics to really boost everything.

We all hear about the stories of obesity in children and how we're becoming this fat nation, so what better than to have an Olympics that will really inspire people to get up and just do something.

So, hopefully, we'll produce more training facilities not just for our athletes but for everybody to enjoy.

As a region, we're producing some great athletes, but we are a little complacent.

Two thousand and twelve is five years away... it takes quite a while to build world class facilities and these athletes need to train, need to compete... so if we're going to start doing things and we really want to put our mark on becoming a sporting region, we need to support our athletes by showing that we care, get behind them, back them.

With success, came funds...

To finish fourth, as is our aim in the final medal table at 2012, we need to start working now.

When Sir Clive Woodward won the rugby world cup in 2003, it was a four year process.

We've got five years to go until 2012 and we need to do things right away.

We need to get our athletes supported, we need to make them feel like they are special, we need to make sure that they have those training facilities.

As a region, we've got the athletes, we need to ensure we now support them and be a part of the greatest sporting event ever.

We also feature the thoughts of 14 year old Hen Freeman from Milton Keynes, a would be paralympian who's chasing her dream to compete.

Hen developed an acute neurological condition when she was twenty months old, affecting her arms, legs and trunk.

---

It would have been easy to allow the pain to take over my life but luckily, I am positive and motivated and with the support of my family and friends, I have been able to cope Hen Freeman

I'm Hen and I am 14.

I enjoy listening to music, chatting on MSN and going out.

I am a Liverpool FC supporter and whizz around in a red chair!

My friends say that I am an inspiration.

I love sport!

In 2006, I joined a monthly wheelchair sports club in Aylesbury.

I walked with crutches, so this was my first experience of sport on wheels.

It was there that I met Haj Bhania, a top wheelchair basketball coach, and really enjoyed his session.

I started to follow the local team, MK Aces - I was hooked by the speed and excitement of the game.

I was unexpectedly invited to compete in the 2006 Regional Championships representing South region. I had a brilliant time and was coached by Andy Blake, GB player.

I was later invited to join the Vixens women's team.

In February 2007, I played my first competitive matches and have never looked back.

I also play for Aces junior team and we are in our first season.

Despite the continuing pain, Hen remains supremely competitive

Also in 2006, I visited the Motability Roadshow to check out new cars.

I recognised Peter Norfolk at the Tennis Foundation stand and went over for a chat.

One signed book about wheelchair tennis and a couple of photographs later, I had signed up for the 2006 summer camp in Nottingham.

I had an amazing time, made lots of friends and found another sport I loved.

I had never seen so many children in wheelchairs!

On 20 February 2007, my life changed when I was knocked off my crutches by a pupil in a powered wheelchair.

I was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and became wheelchair dependant.

I am in pain all the time and painkillers have no effect.

It would have been easy to allow the pain to take over my life but, luckily, I am positive and motivated and with the support of my family and friends, I have been able to cope.

Sport has definitely helped me to overcome the physical and emotional hurdles I have had to face.

It is not easy to access information about wheelchair sport and parents often share information.

Being a webby expert has helped!

The National Junior Games, held yearly at Stoke Mandeville Stadium is an excellent opportunity to try out and compete in a number of sports.

In 2007, I won medals in archery, power lifting, basketball, table tennis and zone hockey.

I was identified as a potential Paralympic power lifter and have joined the development squad.

Since joining Shenley Brook End secondary school, the PE team have done a fantastic job. I am part of the Talented and Gifted Sports Programme and have just received a sports grant.

My ambition is to compete at the London 2012 Paralympics and win a gold medal.

The Politics Show East

The Politics Show with Jon Sopel and Etholle George on Sunday 27 January 2008 at 12:00 GMT on BBC One.

Use the reply form below to let Politics Show East know what you think...

---