Golden girl of the Olympic pool, Rebecca Adlington, has today backed the third annual UK School Games, being held in Bath and Bristol.
Adlington, who is officially commencing the event at tonight’s opening ceremony, joined Youth Sport Trust Chief Executive Steve Grainger and 2004 Olympic 4x100m relay gold medallist Jason Gardener in a press conference to mark the start of the event, which will see 1,500 elite athletes of school age compete in nine sports across three days of competition.
Adlington, who historically became the first British woman since Anita Lonsborough in 1960 to win an Olympic swimming title, said: “I think the UK School Games is a fantastic event and having the ability to compete in a multi-sport competition will only help these young athletes for the future.”
Rebecca became the 400m freestyle champion on day three of the Beijing Olympics, which she followed by smashing the world record for 800m freestyle to take her second gold medal and help Team GB to an overall haul of 47 medals, including 19 golds.
Swimming will feature prominently at the UK School Games, with two days of competition held at Millfield School on Friday and Saturday and the 19-year-old said: “The UK School Games is the first major competition in the London Olympiad. What an exciting event and I wish all the athletes who are competing the best of luck.”
Record numbers are competing in Bath and Bristol this year, where the new sport of hockey will join competition in badminton, judo, volleyball, athletics, fencing, gymnastics, swimming and table tennis, with disability events in athletics, swimming and table tennis also included.
Jason Gardener, known as the ‘Bath Bullet’ throughout his athletics career, hailed the opportunity available for young sports competitors to excel:
“I am delighted to be supporting the UK School Games, which this year takes place in my home town of Bath and Bristol,” he said.
“The event is a unique opportunity for everyone to see how much young sporting talent we have in the UK across a range of sports, while the athletes will get the chance to experience a major multi-sport event.”
Jason continued: “Through my role as the 2008 UK School Games Ambassador, I’ve been working closely with schools across the region to share how the event can have a hugely positive impact – not just on those competing, but for all young people as they learn about sport and the many benefits it can bring.”
The 2008 event promises to be bigger than before, with previous competitions hosted in Glasgow and Coventry in 2006 and 2007.
New developments this year from the event organisers, the Youth Sport Trust, include the development of a school supporters programme to get local schools involved in the Games, the work with Mencap and the governing bodies of particular sports to develop clear pathways into the competition for athletes with learning disabilities and additional use of young officials during the event.
Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “This year’s UK School Games take place less than a week after what has been an incredible Olympic Games, which we are sure will further inspire all the athletes competing this weekend in Bath and Bristol.
“We are at the beginning of a hugely exciting four years for sport in the UK as we count down towards the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the UK School Games will play a huge role in not only helping to showcase our talented young athletes, but also in the transformation of competitive sporting opportunities for tens of thousands of young people at local, regional and national level.”
The UK School Games replicates a major international multi-sport competition, with the opening ceremony held tonight at Bath Rugby Club and a closing ceremony held on Sunday evening at the University of Bath.
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Notes to Editors
The UK School Games consists of nine sports and three disability sports; they will be competed for across four locations:
Athletics: University of Bath
Fencing: University of Bath
Table Tennis: University of Bath
Volleyball: University of Bath
Hockey: University of the West of England
Badminton: University of the West of England
Gymnastics: Filton College
Judo: Filton College
Swimming: Millfield School
1. The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity with a simple mission: To build a brighter future for all young people through physical education (PE) and school sport. Our main objective is to increase young people’s participation and enjoyment of PE and school sport and, through this, improve their life chances.
We believe that all young people are entitled to experience and benefit from a variety of sports at a level that’s right for them. Through our work we ensure youngsters can receive the best possible teaching, coaching and resources and have the opportunity to develop their talent.
2. Legacy Trust UK launched in November 2007 and has been endowed £40m by the Big Lottery Fund, the Arts Council and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. This will be used to support cultural, artistic, educational and sporting activities that celebrate the 2012 Games.
The Trust will form partnerships with organisations that will attract additional match funding to deliver Legacy Trust supported programmes.
The UK School Games is supported by a £6 million grant from Legacy Trust UK. As an event which fully encompasses sport, education and culture, the UK School Games was one of Legacy Trust UK’s first projects. The rest of the money will be allocated to specific projects via the three nations and nine English regions of the UK. www.legacytrustuk.org.uk<http://www.legacytrustuk.org.uk/>