The TeamGB Equestrian team has added
to the medal tally with silver in the eventing competition at
Greenwich Park.
The team of Tina Cook, William Fox-Pitt, Mary
King, Zara Phillips and Nicola Wilson finished the three-day event
in second place behind German after a tense final day.
Their silver medal, one place better than the
2008 Beijing Olympics, continues TeamGB’s Olympic record of
finishing with a medal in the team event and provides a strong
platform for the British Equestrian Federation’s (BEF) plans to
build a strong legacy beyond London 2012 and encourage more people
to get into the sport.
Through their online portal means people inspired by
today’s performance can find out about ‘Take Back the Reins’, an
initiative offering affordable courses to introduce new people to
the sport or help former riders refresh their skills and regain
their confidence in the saddle.
Elsewhere today at the Olympics, TeamGB
women’s teams were putting in strong performances. The
gymnastics team performed well in the final of the team event,
finishing in 6th spot. Like their male
counterparts, they have benefitted from the world class facilities
at Sport England’s national sports centre Lilleshall.
The women’s football team beat Brazil 1 – 0 at
Wembley to finish top of Group E and go through to the
quarter-finals where they will play Canada. As the biggest
female participation team sport in the country, women and girls
inspired by tonight’s performance can find out more about playing
the game by visiting the FA's website.
TeamGB’s women’s volleyball team also had a
successful day, securing their maiden Olympic victory, beating
Algeria. Making their Olympic debut, the team’s win will help
England Volleyball in their quest to get more people playing and
enjoying the game. Whether you’ve never played before and
want to give it a go, or you haven’t played since school or on
holidays, ‘Go Spike' gives
you the opportunity to come and try the sport out.
With 6.5 million women now playing sport every
week, today’s performances will go a long way to encouraging
even more to give sport a go.