ATHLETES from Barbados could be coming to Colchester to prepare for the 2012 Olympics.

The town’s sports facilities have been approved as training camps for the games, and a delegation from the Barbados Olympic Association visited yesterday to see if they suited their needs.

President Steve Stoute and secretary general Erskine Simmons were shown Colchester Garrison’s athletics track on Abbeyfield and the Physical and Recreational Training Centre on Berechurch Road.

Mr Simmons praised the quality of the facilities he saw in town.

“It’s hard to put it in to words, but these are phenomenal facilities that have made a positive impression,” he said.

“Your city contacted us, we liked what you had to say and decided we needed to have a better look and see if the facilities were right for us.”

Barbados is looking to bring a 30-strong team to the London Olympics, with up to 20 competitors taking part in athletics, cycling, swimming and boxing.

The governing body is inspecting several possible training camps, including Ipswich, Sheffield and Glasgow, host of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

“It is going to be very difficult to make a decision about where to be based,,” Mr Simmons said.

A consortium made up of Colchester Council, Essex County Council, Colchester Garrison and Essex University is promoting the town’s sporting facilities.

Borough council leader Anne Turrell said she thought the Barbadian vistors had been “very impressed by what they saw”.

“I’m glad that Barbados is considering coming to Colchester, and hope to welcome them back to the town in 2012,” she said.

Ian Duggan, the authority’s sports development manager, said more than 60 Olympic nations have had information about what Colchester can offer.

“We have had several expressions of interest and we are following them all up,” he said.

“Barbados are at the fact-finding stage and we are delighted to show them what the town can offer, focussing on athletics which is one of their main sports.”

Mr Duggan said Colchester has had “no firm commitments” from teams looking for training bases, but emphasised that it was “still early days”.