THE man responsible for leading the team behind the 2012 Games has visited Coventry for the first time since it became Host City for the Olympic football tournament.

Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), was a special guest at the City of Coventry Stadium as he checked out the facilities at the complex first hand.

The £113 million venue, home of Coventry City FC, will host between five and ten Olympic football matches during the Games when it will temporarily be renamed from the Ricoh Arena to the City of Coventry Stadium while the Olympic football competition takes place.

Deighton met with Tom Clift and David Moorcroft from the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games and Daniel Gidney, chief executive of the Ricoh Arena, to discuss plans in the build-up to 2012 and to be given a tour of the facilities.

Gidney said: "We were delighted that Paul has made time in his very busy schedule to come and check out our wonderful facilities.

"He had some very positive things to say and we are excited about working with him and LOCOG even more closely as we prepare to play a significant part in hosting the greatest sporting event in the world.

"Our bid team worked very hard to secure Coventry's status as a Host City for the football and we are determined to make the region and the entire country proud."

The venue is one of just six picked to host Olympic football matches alongside Wembley, the Millennium Stadium, Old Trafford, Hampden Park and Newcastle's St James' Park.

Deighton said: "Coventry put together a great bid document, it was obvious they really wanted the Olympic football events here.

"We were very impressed with the detailed application, the sheer will and enthusiasm from all the team in Coventry coupled with some outstanding and unique facilities."