The agreement, which was signed by Greg Hartung, president of the Australian Paralympic Committee, has been confirmed by the Welsh Assembly Government – although officials have said that it is too early to say where in Wales the Australian team would be based. It is expected, however, that the national pool in Swansea and the velodrome in Newport will feature strongly in the build-up.
First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, told the BBC: "The fact that Australia, one of the great sports-obsessed nations of the world, has chosen Wales to base more than 300 athletes in the build up to the 2012 games underlines the quality and accessibility of the training facilities we have here.
"The success achieved by Welsh athletes at this year's Olympics and Paralympics has already shown that we have world-beating facilities and coaches”, Morgan added.
The 300-strong Australian Paralympics team won 79 medals at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
