Hundreds of young athletes will have the opportunity to compete
in four key 2012 Olympic venues, just two months before the world’s
elite athletes, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said today as he set
out plans for the finals of the 2012 School Games.
Sport England today confirmed that £4 million of National
Lottery money and £2 million of Government funding has been
allocated for the finals event and that it will be delivered by the
Youth Sport Trust, with LOCOG and Fast Track.
Speaking at the Aquatics Centre on the Olympic Park, Mr Hunt
revealed details of the finals:
- a competition to mirror the Olympic and Paralympic Games –
complete with opening and closing ceremonies;
- around 1,600 of the nation’s finest young sports stars to
compete;
- up to 35,000 spectators will cheer on the athletes;
- four Olympic venues will host the finals – the Olympic Stadium,
Aquatics Centre, Velodrome and ExCeL Centre;
- the finals will take place from 6-9 May next year;
- around 2,000 hotel rooms near ExCeL to be used as an Athletes’
Village; and
- approximately 700 coaches, support staff and volunteers will
give round-the-clock support and advice - collectively committing
more than 22,000 hours of their time.
Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Jeremy
Hunt said:
“The School Games will be a real sporting legacy for young
people from London’s Olympics. The competition will use the
inspiration of 2012 to transform competitive sport in schools and
get more young people playing sport, long after next summer.
“The 2012 School Games finals will be the largest ever event of
its kind in the UK. It will be an unprecedented opportunity for our
young athletes to run on the Olympic track before Usain Bolt, cut
through the pool before Michael Phelps, and feel the speed of the
Velodrome before Victoria Pendleton.”
Richard Lewis, Chair of Sport England, said: “Competing in the
Olympic Park venues will be an awe-inspiring experience for these
talented young people – especially when they consider that their
sporting heroes will be following in their footsteps just a few
weeks later. The 2012 School Games finals will be an extraordinary
chapter of the legacy story, one that will, I’m sure, never be
forgotten by the young competitors, volunteers and officials taking
part.”
Baroness Sue Campbell, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust,
said: “This is a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the very
best young sportspeople to have an unforgettable experience ahead
of London 2012. To compete in our finest venues in front of large
crowds with the Olympic and Paralympic Games so close will be very
special. For the young officials and volunteers it will also be a
fantastic and memorable experience.”
Seb Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG),
said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for thousands of young
people to be inspired by sport before the London 2012 Olympic Games
and Paralympic Games have begun. It will be great to see
competitors and spectators enjoying the Olympic Park venues during
the Schools Games and for generations to come.”
The 2012 School Games finals will be the last event to be held
on the Olympic Park before the opening ceremony on 27 July.
Competitions will be held in twelve current and future Olympic
and Paralympic sports: fencing, rugby sevens, gymnastics, hockey,
badminton, athletics, cycling, judo, swimming, table tennis,
volleyball and wheelchair basketball. A key principle of the School
Games is that it has been designed for both able bodied and
disabled young people.
The School Games is a new school sport competition, using the
inspiration of London’s Olympics and Paralympics to help transform
competitive sport in schools and get more people playing sport.
Open to all schools, there are three levels of competition (class
versus class, school versus school and then county or city wide
sports festivals) leading up to the showcase final on the Olympic
Park. The School Games will continue after 2012 and the ambition is
for the finals to be held in the Olympic Park at regular
intervals.
Mr Hunt also announced today that 7,700 schools have already
registered for the competition and that schools have until the end
of the year to get on board for 2012.
Tickets for the 2012 School Games finals will be available free
of charge for family members and schools groups - giving young
people from across the country the opportunity to be inspired by
both the Olympic and Paralympic facilities, and the very best
school age sporting talent. Details of how schools can apply for
tickets will be announced by the end of the year.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Sport England is focused on the delivery of a mass participation
legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We invest
National Lottery and Exchequer funding in organisations and
projects that will grow and sustain participation in grassroots
sport and create opportunities for people to excel at their chosen
sport.