In the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics, the Park will be hosting training camps for some of the world’s brightest and best sportspeople from countries as far afield as Singapore, China, the USA, Malta and Antigua.

Paul Blanchard, CEO at the Surrey Sports Park, reveals that some “very strong medal prospects” will be on site. These include the Nigerian weightlifting team, the Singapore table tennis and badminton teams and China’s synchronised swimmers. GB women’s basketball will also train at the Park from May for three months. “They could be in line for a possible medal too,” says Blanchard. “Look out for them in the double arena.”

Blanchard hopes that this influx of Olympic talent, just across the A3, will encourage more people on campus to have a go at sport.

To tie-in with the Olympic presence, the Park will be running sports taster days, open weekends, master classes and coaching sessions, some run by the national teams themselves. The events will be open to anyone, held as part of the Park’s Year of Sport initiative.  Some special events will also be lined up for the university alumni day on July 14, with activities, lectures and taster sessions currently in the planning stages.

Sports such as fencing, badminton and table tennis are among the Olympic sports on offer and Blanchard is keen for students and staff to get involved. This campaign, explains Blanchard, is a way of “encouraging people to take up sport, to try a sport. Without sounding dramatic, it might change your life.”

With rates of obesity rising in the UK (particularly among children) an interest in sport could even save lives.  Currently the Park runs an outreach programme for local schools and The Year of Sport campaign will invite school parties to join in the sporting challenge.

Games fever at the Park doesn’t stop with the Olympics; it continues with the arrival of Paralympic athletes in early August. Blanchard can’t yet confirm which teams will be setting up camp yet but says: “We are talking to the Chinese paralympic team and five or six others.” Both China and Sweden (another possibility) have strong Paralympic teams so there could be well be medal prospects here too.

The world of sport is exciting, thrilling and often full of surprises – from Michael Phelps’ eight Gold medals in the 2008 Olympics to Usain Bolt’s incredible 100m record of 9.58 seconds. Sporting news shapes history. And with the Games held here for the first time in 64 years (and training camps for the first time ever in Surrey) it’s an event not to be missed. Why not rise to the challenge and play a part in it?

• The Surrey Sports Park will be looking for student volunteers while the training camps are on. See the SSP website for details nearer the time.