Calais rebrands itself as 'part of Britain' to cash in on Olympic triumph

By Clare Ellicott

Calais hopes to benefit from the 2012 Olympics by rebranding itself as British

France may have lost out to England in the bid to host the Olympics, but that hasn't stopped it cashing-in on England's triumph.

Councillors in Pas-de-Calais, northern France, claim to have spotted a unique opportunity to generate revenue and publicity from the games by trying to attract athletes, fans and journalists.

They plan to rebrand the region - which is just 18 miles (29km) from Kent - as 'part of Britain' and have landed contracts with a string of foreign teams to train there ahead of the Games.

'We are the south of England and because we're the south of England it's normal that we would associate ourselves with this extraordinary event,' Dominique Dupilet, the chairman of the Pas de Calais regional council, told the Telegraph.

In a video on his blogsite, Mr Dupilet said when the Games were announced for London a British flag was hoisted by the council.

'Visible from our coast, accessible from our stations, our airports, our ports, England is our immediate neighbour … We are aiming to make Pas-de Calais one of the training bases for the Olympic teams,' he added


The Olympic Stadium under construction in East London. Calais claims tourists can use a shuttle train through the Channel Tunnel as a means of affordable transport to get to sporting events


A self-confessed anglophile, Mr Dupilet claims tourists could easily use a shuttle train through the Channel Tunnel which stops at Calais and the Olympic site in East London.

'It will take no more time to get to events than if you’re in North London,' he told The Times.
He also argues that the hotels in Calais are at least 30 per cent cheaper than in London, eating out is better value, and sporting facilities are free.

Almost £90million is being ploughed into hotels and top-notch sporting facilities in the region as a result of the Games being held in London in 2012.

Officials have already signed a contract with Chad's boxing, wrestling, judo and athletics teams to hold training camps there.

The canoe and kayak teams of Uzbekistan and Senegal have also committed to training across the Channel.

Mr Dupilet hopes investment in Calais will extend beyond the Games, and claims businesses were already looking for office and factory sites in the region.