KENT is "streets ahead" of any other county in its bid to share in the 2012 Olympic phenomenom, according to the man in charge Chris Hespe.

Mr Hespe, head of sports, leisure and Olympics at KCC, said the county was working hard on persuading some of the visiting international teams to use Kent's sporting venues as training centres ahead of the games.

No deals will be done until after the conclusion of the 2008 Beijing games, but Mr Hespe hinted that Kent had already received some expressions of interest.

He said: "When the Olympic torch arrives in England, it will be at Dover - and an estimated four billion people worldwide will get their first glimpse of Kent.

"And the Olympics themselves should leave a legacy from which Kent can benefit for years to come."

Mr Hespe added: "People in the county haven't quite woken up yet to just how exciting this is."