Times Online
When the French recaptured Calais from the English in 1558 in an epilogue to the Hundred Years War, Queen Mary I was inconsolable.

Now she is likely to be laughing from beyond the grave as officials on the north French coast boast of their Englishness in an attempt to cash in on the 2012 Olympics.

The rest of France may have gone into mourning since London was chosen ahead of Paris as host city for the games, but Dominique Dupilet, the chairman of the Pas de Calais regional council, spotted a unique opportunity.

Hoisting the Union Jack above his council offices "within a minute of the announcement" in 2005, he unveiled a plan for all things Anglais to generate revenue and publicity from the games by trying to attract athletes, fans and journalists. "We decided to make the Pas de Calais the most active English region in terms of the Olympics," he told The Times.


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In practice, the region is likely to prove attractive to athletes from poorer nations who find London and the South East prohibitively expensive or to those with historical ties to France. Chad, Senegal and Uzbekistan have all taken up the offer and are planning to hold training camps in the area which is building a new velodrome and wrestling hall.

A shuttle train running through the Channel Tunnel and stopping at Calais and the Olympic site in East London will provide an affordable means of transport, Mr Dupilet claims.

"It will take no more time to get to events than if you're in North London," he said.


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