Mills played a key role in bringing the Olympics to London

Cornwall has been unable to attract any athletes for pre-Olympic training because of its distance from London, according to Sir Keith Mills.

Mills, who is deputy chairman of the London 2012 committee, admitted it will be hard to persuade foreign teams to use the county as a base in 2012.

He said: "It's the reality of life that Cornwall's proximity to London is acting as a barrier.

"But less than half the countries have found a home so there's still time."

He added: "There are 205 countries that compete in the Olympic Games and we have promoted all of the training centres to all of them, but it's their decision on where they come and base themselves.

"I wouldn't rule it out [that they come to Cornwall], but it's certainly more of a challenge here than it would be closer to London."

Of the 21 venues that have been approved as official sites in Devon and Cornwall for pre-Games training, none have yet signed a contract with a foreign team.

Mills said: "I am disappointed, but from a practical perspective if you're the Peruvian Olympic Committee and you're arriving in London with 35 athletes, then choosing to bring them all down to the Westcountry is probably a tough decision."

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