The "Hertfordshire is Ready For Winners Partnership" have revaled  that the National Olympic Committees (NOC) of St Kitts and Nevis and  St Lucia , will  live locally and train in county training camps during the build up to London 2012, as predicted previously on insidethegames.

The British Virgin Islands were the first to commit in June 2009.

Following a visit earlier this year the secretary general of St Lucia NOC, Alfred Emmanuel, was impressed with the Hertfordshire training camps.

"My visit convinced me that this is the right place to be in the lead up to the London 2012 Games," he said.

"The facilities offered are superb, likewise the expertise on the ground, and these were all deciding factors in our choice."

Similarly, Glenville Jeffers, secretary general of St Kitts and Nevis NOC was taken on a whistle stop tour of Hertfordshire's facilities by the partnership, on his way out to New Delhi for the Commonwealth Games.

St Lucia and St Kitts and Nevis both made their Olympic debuts at Atlanta in 1996 but both countries are still waiting for their first medal.

St Lucia, which became independent in 1979 and has a population of 160,000, sent four athletes to Beijing, three athletes and a swimmer.

St Kitts and Nevis, which has a population of less than 52,000, also sent four athletes to the Chinese capital, all sprinters.

St Kitts' best known athlete is Kim Collins (pictured), the 2003 world 100 metres champion, who retired last year.

Over 600 facilities across the UK are approved pre-Games training camps for Olympic and Paralympic teams.

Hertfordshire has 17 training camps, which offer wide ranging sports facilities from athletics to gymnastics and fencing to wrestling.

Derrick Ashley, Hertfordshire County Council's champion for the 2012 Games and Executive Member for Planning, said: "Hertfordshire is an ideal place for athletes from around the world to train.

"It has high quality sports facilities, plus we can offer things like strength and conditioning training, equipment, accommodation, travel and competition at an elite level.  And of course we are only a very short distance from London and the Olympic Park.

"Each nation that chooses our pre-games training camps will be spending up to £25,000 in Hertfordshire, which is good news for the county. We will also be looking to forge lasting school and community links with the teams.  We look forward to welcoming the teams to Hertfordshire."

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