Teams build up to UK Corporate Games in Loughborough

Thousands of workers from firms throughout the UK are to take part in Europe's biggest team-building exercise.

Loughborough has been selected as the venue for the 2011 UK Corporate Games, which aim to bring businesses together to build employee confidence, loyalty and team spirit.

Some 4,000 athletes from companies including John Lewis Partnership, Asda, Fujitsu, the Co-operative, HSBC and Watson Wyatt will compete in the four-day games.

Competitors will take part in sports ranging from football to rugby and dragon boat racing at the university's world-class sports venues.

Loughborough was chosen as the venue after a successful bid by the university – which will also be playing host to the Japanese Olympic squad prior to the Games in 2012 – Charnwood Borough Council and Leicestershire County Council.

Councillor Peter Lewis, Charnwood's leisure spokesman, said: "With Loughborough set to play a major part in the preparations for the London 2012 Olympics we put in a bid to get the UK Corporate Games before then to show the town off and prove we are capable of running a major sporting event.

"I'm delighted we have succeeded because hosting such a high-profile event will help local businesses and tourism and showcase the town to the rest of the country."

Dr Maureen Johnson, President of Sport for Life and founder of the UK Corporate Games, said: "We are delighted that Loughborough will host the UK Corporate Games in 2011.

"The games' unmistakable reputation for sport, business and networking makes it a unique event, complex in its preparation with over 4,000 athletes competing from over 200 organisations.

"Loughborough will provide an outstanding platform for the games, not just in terms of its central location, but also its first-class sporting facilities.

"It creates a perfect environment for businesses to interact both on and off the field and we are confident that it will ensure a spectacular first UK Corporate Games for the Midlands and a real boost for both local and national businesses."

Kay England, chief executive of Imago, which runs the university's hospitality services, said: "It's a great privilege for Loughborough University to be named the host of the 2011 UK Corporate Games and we hope that the high level of service we offer as standard across the whole of the campus will help the guests to get the most out of the games."

Teams from any business can enter the games to compete in any one of the sports on offer.

A Corporate Games spokesman said no date had yet been finalised for the Loughborough games.

She said: "First, we are going to get through the 2010 Games in May in Liverpool then it will be all about Loughborough and firming up the details."