“Tens of thousands of young people who’d previously thought
sport wasn’t for them have now discovered just how much fun it can
be."
Richard Lewis, Sport England Chair
33,000 young people have been inspired to do sport in their own
time in the first six months of Sport England’s
Sportivate
Olympic and Paralympic legacy initiative.
All of the teenagers and young adults have
received six to eight weeks of coaching in a sport of their choice.
And figures published today show how the legacy programme is
gathering momentum: 25,801 of the 32,932 participants took part in
the last three months alone.
Responding to the legacy pledge made by Seb
Coe in Singapore in 2005, Sportivate is aimed at young
people who currently aren’t playing sport in their own time, giving
them the chance to find a sport they enjoy. The young people are
then helped to find a club or venue where they can keep taking
part.
All those who complete a sports course,
missing no more than one session, and then continue to play sport
for at least three months will have the chance to enter a ballot
for free London 2012 tickets. Sport England has hundreds of Olympic
and Paralympic tickets available for Sportivate
participants via the London 2012 Ticketshare initiative.
Sport England’s Chair, Richard Lewis, said:
“Tens of thousands of young people who’d previously thought sport
wasn’t for them have now discovered just how much fun it can be.
This is what the Olympic and Paralympic legacy is all about and
it’s fantastic to hear about all those finding a new passion for
sport.”
In the South West, a group of teenagers were
introduced to gig rowing by a Sportivate project run by
Nankersey Gig Club. They’ve since been selected to take part in the
2012 Gig Rowing World Championships on the Isles of Scilly.
20-year-old Oli Maskrey, a Science student from the University of
Exeter Tremough Campus, said: “I love rowing because it gets me out
on the water. We’re all really excited about going to the world
championships which is a really great opportunity that I wouldn’t
have had without the Sportivate project that got me started!”
In the East of England, 14-year-old Ben
Torren, was among those who took part in ‘Get Into Judo’
Sportivate sessions at Mildenhall College of Technology.
He said: “I didn’t know what to expect as I have never done judo
before but I thought it was pretty good. I particularly enjoyed
learning all the holds with my partner and I am really looking
forward to the next session already.”
As part of the Places People Play
official Olympic legacy programme, the National Lottery-funded
Sportivate will benefit hundreds of thousands of young
people over four years.
Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the
Olympics, said: “Sportivate has had tremendous early success,
giving young people the chance to try their hand at a variety of
sports with proper training and positive encouragement. I am
delighted that so many young people have been able to find a sport
they love ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and I’m
confident that Sportivate will leave a great sports legacy from
London 2012.”
Sportivateis being delivered
by the network of 49 county sports partnerships who are working
with local providers and sports clubs to help 14- to 25-year-olds
to continue taking part long after they have completed their
course.
To help inspire
and motivate the participants, our Sporting Champions - a team of
current and retired elite athletes – are visiting
Sportivate sessions to share their experiences and
enthusiasm for sport.