Table tennis for players with a disability has been added to the list of sports for the 2007 UK School Games in Coventry this summer.
Youngsters from the following Paralympic classes will compete for individual honours at the Ricoh Arena in August.
Classes 1 - 5 combined: wheelchair payers
Classes 6 - 10 combined: standing players
The addition of this discipline means that of the 8 sports of athletics, badminton, fencing, gymnastics, judo, swimming, table tennis and volleyball, 3 will feature disability events. They are athletics, swimming and table tennis.
Steve Grainger, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust, which is responsible for delivering the UK School Games, said:
“The Youth Sport Trust is delighted that table tennis for players with a disability will be included in the UK School Games this year and we are looking forward to welcoming competitors from this discipline at the event in August.
“The Games are a fantastic opportunity for youngsters to gain experience of a major multi-sport event and we are continuously working to make them as inclusive as possible.”
1300 children will compete in the 2007 UK School Games which will be held at 5 venues around Coventry from 23rd to 26th August.
The UK School Games is for the best youngsters of school age who will be selected to compete by their sport’s governing body. It is not a school versus school competition.
The event has been designed to replicate a major adult multi-sport competition and will have an opening and closing ceremony plus an athlete’s 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.
ends
For further information about the UK School Games please contact Fast Track: Lisa Harper 0207 593 5293 m 07881 822 161 or Alex Brown 0207 593 5275 m 07803 037 530.
Notes to editors:
1. The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, was set up in June 2004. It gives grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK and rolls out nearly £2 million in Lottery money every day.
The 2007 UK School Games in Coventry are being funded through £2.3 million of Lottery money awarded by the Millennium Commission in 2006, for which the Big Lottery Fund is now responsible.
Big Lottery Fund, DCMS and Arts Council England are supporting a legacy trust with over £40 million to fund sporting and cultural activity across the country in the lead up to London 2012. A portion of the funding will be dedicated to the funding of the UK School Games from 2008 to 2011. Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888 / Out of hours: 07867 500 572
Full details of the work of the Big Lottery Fund, its programmes and awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
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 have been appointed by the Youth Sport Trust to deliver event management and media services for the UK School Games
4. Visa’s corporate commitment to the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Movement, the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees and national teams and individuals, has been an important factor in ensuring the continuance and success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Visa is signed up as a worldwide partner to both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games until 2012 and as such is firmly committed to the success of London 2012.
5. Coventry has a 'can-do' reputation for events, with the capture of this year's UK School Games following on from last year's International Children's Games, the annual Lady Godiva Half-Marathon and a packed annual events programme including Godiva, Jazz, Motoring and Mad UK festivals.