Over 1,000 children from across the city have taken part in a 2012-inspired athletics event at a Coventry school.
Lyng Hall School and Specialist Sports College in Blackberry Lane, Wyken, provided the venue for children from over 30 Primary Schools from the Coventry East School Sports Partnership to experience a range of athletic events and receive coaching tips during the city’s latest Festival of Sport.
The children took part in a range of activities with particular focus on running, throwing and jumping skills. A selection of youngsters was also invited to take part in a pentathlon event and some pupils honed their dance moves by taking part in a closing ceremony for the festival.
The five-day event was the latest instalment of the region’s Festival of Sport project and was organised by the Coventry and Warwickshire 2012 Partnership, delivered by the Coventry East School Sports Partnerships and funded by NHS Coventry.
Festival of Sport project is a three-year scheme which aims to give children from schools across Coventry an opportunity to experience a variety of Olympic and Paralympic sports in the lead up to the 2012 Games while learning practically about the values associated with the Games. The project has been awarded the London 2012 Inspire Mark, which is an accreditation that recognises innovative and exceptional projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Will Bastin, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership assistant for the 2012 Games, said: “With London 2012 now just over two years away, more and more people are becoming excited about the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to the UK.
“We want to harness that excitement through projects like the Festival of Sport and use London 2012 as a catalyst to inspire more youngsters in Coventry and Warwickshire to participate in sport than ever before.
“Through promoting the Olympic and Paralympic values of respect, excellence, friendship, courage, determination, inspiration and equality, we hope the festival will enable the children to take these principles and apply them positively to their everyday lives.”
In order to encourage future participation, each child was provided with a booklet which contained facts about the sports experienced during the event and information on how to continue sport further through the junior sections of local athletics clubs, Coventry Sphinx and Coventry Godiva Harriers.
Neil Parker, partnership development manager for the Coventry East School Sports Partnership, said: “The 2012 games has provided us with a fantastic opportunity to inspire and encourage youngsters to take up new sports and events like this are a brilliant platform for helping us to do that.
“This event is about giving a large number of children from across our partnership the opportunity to experience new sports and hopefully they will continue with some of the activities they have learnt about through the Festival of Sport in the future.”