|
Young people from all over the UK will get the chance to compete in the biggest ever school sports event launched today in Battersea Park, London. The four-day championship - called the UK School Games and which the Chancellor unveiled in his Budget speech - will be designed to replicate the feel of a major multi-sport event such as the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games or the Commonwealth Games. The Glasgow Games will be funded by the Millennium Commission who will provide a National Lottery grant of £1.5m. Glasgow will host the first Games, which will take place from 7-10 September 2006. Youth Sport Trust will be responsible for staging the Games, which will include athletics, swimming, gymnastics, table tennis and fencing plus disability events in athletics and swimming. More events will be added to subsequent tournaments, which will be held in cities across the UK. Competitors will experience an Opening and Closing ceremony, medals and accommodation in a Games village. Floella Benjamin OBE, Millennium Commissioner and Marathon runner said “I am delighted to announce a grant of £1.5m for the UK School Games in Glasgow. The Games provides a tremendous opportunity for young people, both with and without disabilities, across the UK to compete on a national stage." "There is a great buzz in the air around sport for young people at the moment and the Millennium Commission is thrilled to be in a position where it can fan the flames of this enthusiasm and use National Lottery funds to make dreams come true for young people across the country, over the coming years" "The Millennium Commission has always been committed to giving young people an opportunity to achieve their potential, and this is a wonderful opportunity to get kids involved in the spirit of competition.” For more information visit www.ukschoolgames.com Notes to editors: 1. The Millennium Commission is a distributor of funds raised by the National Lottery and it has distributed over £2 billion to hundreds of project and thousands of people around the UK. Its funding programmes have included a major national programme of capital projects, including the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow, Odyssey in Belfast and new sports facilities with soccer and ten five-a-side pitches at Mile End Park in East London. The Millennium Commission’s income from the National Lottery ceased in August 2001. 2. The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity established in 1994 to build a brighter future for young people through sport. Its mission is to support the education and development of all young people through sport. Please visit www.youthsporttrust.org for more information. 3. Fast Track is delivering event management and media services for UK School Games with the Youth Sport Trust. 4. EventScotland is a joint venture between the Scottish Executive and VisitScotland. It was created to deliver the Major Events Strategy published by the Scottish Executive in November 2002. The strategy is designed to maximise the benefits of existing events, to attract new events, to showcase Scotland's assets and to encourage more people to visit Scotland to experience at first hand major sporting, cultural and arts events being staged in the country. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.eventscotland.org 5. The BBC has been confirmed as the official broadcast partner for UK School Games in 2006.
Millennium Commission 29th-March-2006
Categories: News Archive
Story read 9853 times
|
