About 80 of Britain’s most talented 14 to 18-year-old athletes started at a boot-camp yesterday designed to boost their chances in future Olympics and Paralympics. The National Talent Orientation Camp was organised by the Youth Sport Trust and runs until Sunday (January 11) at Loughborough University. Each of the young athletes has been handpicked by their national governing body, and will receive sports training, including canoeing, sailing, rowing, cycling, hockey and wheelchair basketball. Some of the athletes’ teachers will also be there to learn how they can support the teenagers’ education. Steve Grainger, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “The young athletes attending are approaching a crucial point in their sporting careers when they will be making key decisions about their future.”

www.youthsporttrust.org.