SPORTS - Feb 07 archive

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UK School Games Gets Bigger

Following on from the inaugural UK School Games held in Glasgow last year, three new sports have been added to the programme - badminton, judo and volleyball. They join the existing sports of athletics, fencing, gymnastics, swimming and table tennis. For budding paralympians, there will be two sports hosted: athletics and swimming.

This year the Games are being held in Coventry, and it is anticipated that 1300 children will compete, compared to the 1000 that competed at Glasgow.

Marlon Devonish, Olympic sprint relay gold medallist and local Coventry “boy” is championing the event, which is designed to replicate a major adult multi-sport competition and will have an opening and closing ceremony plus an athletes’ village. £2.3 million in National Lottery funding has been awarded to the Youth Sport Trust through the Big Lottery Fund, to develop the UK School Games until 2011 and for the 2007 Games in Coventry. Visa is the presenting sponsor of the 2007 Games which are also being supported by Coventry City Council.

Marlon has commented that “The UK School Games is an excellent event and offers a fantastic opportunity for young competitors to experience a similar environment to that in which elite athletes compete. I believe it will help them learn how to stay focused and perform well when they’re in the spotlight at a high profile competition, a skill which will be invaluable as they progress into the senior ranks.”

Competitors will be chosen by their sport governing bodies based on regional (e.g. South East, Eastern) or national (e.g. English, Scottish…) selection criteria, as detailed below.

Last year, Kent had one winner, Alexandra Adams. She came 1st in the women’s 100m MD Backstroke.

Athletics

12 teams from the under-17 age group will compete in 35 events over the weekend of 25th and 26th August. In addition there will be a number of disability athletics events.

Badminton

One team from each home country, with competitors from the under-17 age group will compete in both individual and team events. The two and a half days of competition begin on the afternoon of Friday 24th August.

Fencing

One team from each home country, with competitors from the under-17 age group will compete in foil, epée and sabre categories. Both individual and team events will be held over two days of competition on 25th and 26th August.

Gymnastics

One team from each home country will take part in competition on Saturday 25th August. The men’s artistic event will be for the under-16 age group while the women’s will feature under-19’s.

Judo

One team from each home country, with competitors from the 16 to 18 age group will compete over two and a half days from the afternoon of Friday 24th August.

Swimming

Eight teams from the under-16 age group in competition on Saturday 25th August, 4 from England, 2 from Scotland, one all Ireland and one from Wales. Disability events will also take place in the pool.

Table tennis

Eight teams, from England north, south east, south west, west midlands, east midlands, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The two and a half days of competition for under-18’s will begin on the afternoon of Friday 24th August.

Volleyball

Six Teams, 3 from England, 2 from Scotland and one from Northern Ireland will take part in competition from the afternoon of Friday 24th August to Sunday 26th August. The girls’ competition will be for under-16’s while the boys will feature under-17’s.