If you’re a professional or semi-professional sportsperson, staying motivated, energised and at your peak physical condition doesn’t come easy over the dismal UK winter period. No matter how passionate you are about your chosen sport, there’s no doubt it’s incredibly hard to remain focused on a training regime when it’s all icy roads and dark foggy mornings to look forward to. However, if you’re serious about your training, you know that you simply can’t afford to take your foot off the accelerator for even a few weeks, so one solution that many athletes turn to is spending a couple of weeks in a warm weather training camp in Europe.
Head to Cyprus for Some Winter Sun
While there’s a fairly extensive range of well-facilitated destinations to choose from for a warm weather training stint, Cyprus should be right at the top of the list. It’s got it all: good looks, great food, fascinating history and, most importantly, some excellent, state-of-the-art training facilities that stand shoulder to shoulder with anywhere else in Europe – whether you’re travelling as part of a team or individually.
Swimming
In the picturesque village of Coral Bay, on the west coast of Cyprus (just 35km from the airport at Paphos) is the 5-star Coral Beach Hotel and Resort. The resort is equipped with an Olympic standard 50-metre outdoor heated pool for the sole use of visiting athletes. Popular with national and international swim teams, the resort was the official training venue for the British team for the 2004 Athens Olympics. There’s also a well-equipped regular gym and a private swim-specific gym.
Five minutes’ drive from the historic centre of Paphos, the Yeroskipou Sports Centre is also just a short walk from a range of beachfront accommodation in the village. The centre’s heated 10-lane, 50-metre swimming pool is part of a larger complex, which also includes extensive land training facilities and a well-equipped gym for additional strength training.
Athletics
The all-new Yeroskipou Sports Centre is also an ideal venue for track and field athletes looking for some warm weather training opportunities. Situated in an ideal position close to the airport, the complex features brand new state-of-the-art athletics facilities. As well as an 8-lane, all weather synthetic track, there are two sand pits, high jump and pole vault beds, javelin, discus and shot areas, and a wide range of throw and track training equipment. The centre is walking distance from the newly renovated Louis Phaethon Hotel, a popular choice for athletes.
The Pafiako Stadium, just 4km from the centre of Paphos, is utilised all year round by local and visiting athletes in training. The complex is facilitated with a 400m, 8-lane running track, along with a weights room, gym, pole vault area, long and high jump areas, and professional shot put, hammer and javelin circles. Pafiako Stadium is only a short distance from the main hotels of Paphos, which range from budget to luxury.
The Pegeia Sports Centre is slightly further out of Paphos, but within just five minutes of the excellent accommodation at the Coral Beach Hotel and under an hour from the airport. The centre boasts a recently refurbished 8-lane, all weather track (synthetic), hurdles and starting blocks, sand pits, shot, discus and javelin areas, pole vault and high jump beds, and a fully-equipped gym.
Tennis
With a wonderful year-round climate, the stunning Aphrodite Hills Resort is a popular place for professional and semi-pro tennis players to fit in some warm weather training. Just 20km from Paphos, and easily accessible from the airport, the resort is home to four championship floodlit hard ‘green set’ courts, four Spanish red clay courts, and a central pavilion that includes changing facilities, viewing area, and a bar overlooking the ocean. Plans are in place for a show court for international tournaments to complete the complex – making it one of the most impressive in Cyprus. The range of luxury onsite accommodation includes villas, townhouses and apartments.
Let Shuttle Direct Get You to Your Winter Training Camp
Here at Shuttle Direct, we’ve been transporting athletes to their winter training venues for many years. If you’re planning a training break anywhere on the beautiful island of Cyprus, we can get you from the airport at Paphos or Larnaca straight to your accommodation without delay.
Simply book online through our very user-friendly website and you’ll receive an immediate confirmation of all your travel details. Our driver will meet you at your chosen airport and transport you and any sporting equipment you’re travelling with direct to your hotel or resort. With a range of private or shared transfers, it doesn’t matter what your budget is, we can get you to where you need to go, so you can concentrate on your training not your travel arrangements.
