October 30 - Kenya's double Olympic gold medallist Kip Keino is to visit Bristol next week to open a new stadium named in his honour and to seal a deal for his country's athletes to train in the area before the London 2012 Games.



The 1968 Olympic 1500 metres champion and 1972 3000m steeplechase gold medallist will open the Kip Keino Athletic Stadium at Bristol Academy Sport Complex, at Filton College’s WISE Campus, on Tuesday (November 2).

Filton College has invested £875,000 ($1.4 million) in the development of the Bristol Academy Sport Complex at the WISE Campus in Stoke Gifford, after receiving a major grant of £450,000 ($722,000) from Bristol City Council.

The centre-piece of this investment has been the creation of a competition-standard athletic stadium which will host several local athletic clubs and in, 2012, will be the pre-Olympic training base for the Kenyan Olympic squad.

The deal has been arranged by Keino, the President of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC) and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

When it was announced in February 2007 it made it the first agreement to be reached for London 2012 between a British town or city and an overseas team.

Filton College Principal Kevin Hamblin said: "I am very excited to welcome Kip, who has visited Filton College before, to open the new Kip Keino Athletic Stadium."

Keino already has an arena - the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret - named after him.

Simon Cook, Bristol’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Culture, Sport and Capital Projects, added: "This new stadium and its opening by sporting legend Kip Keino will act as an inspiration for our young athletes.

"The Council’s partnership with Filton College and its investment is testament to our commitment to providing top-quality sub-regional sporting facilities.

"This new stadium and the new opportunities it creates will help to ensure our sportsmen and women can reach the highest standards and achieve their full potential."


Related stories
September 2008: Keino wants Bristol to help Kenya become good in other sports 
September 2008: Exclusive - Olympic legend flying into Britain to seal 2012 training camp deal
May 2008: Bristol athletes given chance to train in Kenya as part of 2012 initiative
February 2007: First training camp agreement sealed