Alison Williamson and Marcus Trescothick at Lord's
England cricketers back Olympic bid at Lord's
Date released: 23 July 2004
England cricketers have backed London's Olympic bid, which includes a key role for Lord's; if the capital's bid proves successful, the Ground will stage the Olympic archery competition in 2012.
Earlier this week, four members of the team - Marcus Trescothick, Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones and Geraint Jones - teamed up at Lord's with leading Team GB archer Alison Williamson.
The Chairman of London 2012, Sebastian Coe, said the cricketers' support was a great boost for the bid: "Lord's is a world-class venue that is known the world over. It will provide a spectacular setting for archery. London already has several excellent potential venues in place. We have a good infrastructure, strong sporting traditions and a record for successfully staging major events. The momentum surrounding the London bid is continuing to grow and the support given by the England players is a fantastic boost."
Marcus Trescothick added: "Lord's is one of the greatest sporting venues in the world, and personally my favourite, so it would be fantastic to see it host one of the events in the London Olympics. The Pavilion is already one of the best-known sights in sport and to stage the archery in front of it would be fantastic for the competitors, the spectators - in the Ground and watching at home on TV - and for everyone involved."
Fellow England star Matthew Hoggard commented: "I've tried my hand at archery a couple of times, so I know how hard it is and how skilful Alison and the other top archers are. It would be great to see a different sport, and top competitors from outside cricket, performing on the hallowed turf here."
Alison Williamson, a member of Britain's women's archery squad for the Athens Olympics, said: "It would be fantastic for British athletes to perform on home soil, and winning the 2012 Games would be a great boost to all sports in this country. I would love to compete here at Lord's with its historic setting and tradition and it would be the perfect place for archery. I believe that London can win the Games and make this happen."
Alison will be competing in her fourth Olympics.