Paralympic athletes could be training for London 2012 in Barnes, if a proposed plan for a sports hall at Harrodian School gets the go-ahead.

The Lonsdale Road school has submitted an application to build a £4m four-court sports hall on the northern border of its 25-acre grounds.

The school plans to open the facility for free use by disabled people, including those training for the 2012 Paralympics.

Harrodian chairman and founder, Sir Alford Houstoun-Boswall, said he really wanted the hall, which will be privately funded by the school, to benefit the whole community, as well as students.

He said: “There’s quite a strong Paralympic competitive edge, and we want to help those competitors have a first-rate place where they can work out and develop their skills.

“I also think it is really important for our kids to see disabled people as normal, healthy people, not individuals to be avoided.”

The school is seeking accreditation by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI), which will provide specialist training to staff and ensure the facility has the physical modifications for disabled use, such as wider gangways, lifts and specialised gym equipment.

There are 22 IFI facilities in London but none, as yet, in Richmond.

The Shene Sports and Fitness Centre and Teddington Pools and Fitness Centre are also working toward accreditation.

Wheelchair racer and paralympic gold medallist David Weir said extra training facilities, particularly affordable ones, would help boost disabled sport.

He said: “We need as many places to train as we can get. Anything to help disabled people get into sport.”

Sir Alford said the school planned to start work on the hall as soon as Richmond Council granted it approval.

He hoped the hall would be open by the end of 2010.

Last week we revealed how South Africa will train for the 2012 Olympic Games in the borough.

St Mary’s University College, in Twickenham, and the Lensbury Club, in Teddington, will be used as the main base for the country’s athletes in the run-up to the London games.

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