A team has been sent to Beijing in a bid to attract national teams to Northamptonshire and the East Midlands for the London Olympics.

A number of sporting facilities in the county have already been earmarked as training venues for the 2012 Games, and the delegation from Loughborough University will be doing its utmost to promote the East Midlands to national squads in China.

Corby's new swimming pool and sporting facilities at Kettering Conference Centre are among the potential training camp venues which will be in the official guide to competing nations.

Sports experts are confident the bid will be successful in bringing teams to the county, and possibly even some medals, for the London Olympic Games.

Nicky Milford, of Northamptonshire Sport, said: "We are confident about the future of the county when it comes to sport and the Olympics.

"We have a lot of venues identified in the handbook which is being handed out to national teams in Beijing in a bid to get them to use the area as a base.

Although Corby swimming pool, Kettering Conference Centre and Moulton College have all been identified as training camps no one has yet signed up to use them.

Nicky said: "I think there is a real buzz about what could be coming our way as a result of the games."