TWO sporting venues in Welwyn Hatfield have been selected to help visiting international teams prepare for the London Olympics.

Hertfordshire University's sports village in Hatfield and Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City are among 17 other centres in Hertfordshire to be chosen as pre-Olympic training camps ahead of the 2012 games.

The £15 million sports village will be making its facilities available to international badminton, basketball, fencing, judo and wrestling teams while the sports park in Stanborough Road will be used as an athletics training ground.

Shayne Lambie of Gosling Sports Centre said: "It's an honour to be associated with the 2012 Games in such a way.

"We will strive to lay on the best possible service and facility provision for our special guests in 2012."

Fourteen of the council's successful sporting facilities were included in a single bid from a Hertfordshire consortium consisting of the university, local councils, state and independent schools as well as individual sports clubs.

Director of sport at Hertfordshire University Nick Brooking said: "I am sure that our partnership approach helped win us recognition to be included in the guide.

"Hertfordshire has good sports facilities and we believe the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic games was looking for evidence of positive co-operation once the technical criteria for the venues were satisfied."

Mr Brooking also highlighted the contribution to the successful bid played by the county-wide campaign 'Herts is Ready for Winners'.

It was launched to help ensure the county had a role to play in the run up to the global sporting event.