Brum beds ready for Bolt

BIRMINGHAM, England (CMC):

Officials at the University of Birmingham are pulling out all the stops to ensure that Jamaica's track and field team will be as comfortable as possible at their training base ahead of the London Olympics.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported yesterday that extra-long beds had been ordered to make sure the taller members of the team do not fall out and get injured.

The university will be hosting the Jamaicans for their pre-Olympic training camp, with the 6-foot 5-inch tall Olympic and World champion Usain Bolt among several giants expected to attend.

"We don't want them falling out or somebody walking past hitting their feet while they are hanging out the end of the bed," said Zena Woolridge, director of sport at the University of Birmingham.

"They could get injured. We want to provide the best facilities for them across every level."

Woolridge added the university is also working closely with the Jamaican community in the area to ensure that the team's nutritional requirements are also met.

Spe-cial catering facilities are in place to avoid repeat scenarios of what was a troublesome Beijing Olympics for the Jamaican squad.

"It's critical that athletes get the right fuel," she said. "We have a great catering team that will be able to provide the precise type and quality of food they need, and they will want Jamaican food.

"At the Beijing Olympics, they really struggled to get the food they are used to eating, which is why you saw lots of stories about them visiting McDonald's.

"Having 60,000 Jamaican people in Birmingham (local name Brum), I think we know a thing or two about producing Jamaican food."

The university officially secured the deal to house the Jamaicans in February last year, with final details about the camp expected to be discussed after the World Championships in August.

The United States track and field team will also use the university's facilities ahead of London 2012.