Jason Gardener launches Sainsbury’s UKSG

Monday, 15 March 2010

Sainsbury's UK School Games 2010 will be held in North East England. To launch the event, Olympic gold medallist Jason Gardener was joined by a selection of past and present Sainsbury’s UK School Games competitors for a sprinting masterclass at Baltic Square in front of Gateshead Millennium Bridge and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.

Jason, who won gold as part of the triumphant 4 x 100m relay team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, owed much of his career to the foundations laid down by being a successful junior, which is just one of the reasons he is excited at being involved in the 2010 Sainsbury’s UK School Games.

“I am delighted to be here in North East England helping to launch the Sainsbury’s UK School Games. I have competed many times in this region and the level of facilities the region has to offer are first class.

“As a young athlete trying to forge a career in elite sport, I would have loved to have been able to mix with hundreds of other athletes, learn from them and compete on a national stage against the best in my age group.

“These are exactly the opportunities the Sainsbury’s UK School Games in North East England are going to present each competitor, which will stand them in tremendous stead as they look to grow in their sport.”

Over 1,600 elite school aged athletes will descend upon North East England from the 2 – 5 September 2010. Cycling will join athletics, badminton, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, judo, swimming, table tennis and volleyball, with disability events in swimming, athletics and table tennis, including learning disability for swimming, table tennis and for the first time, athletics. 

Some of the best venues in the region will host the sports including Gateshead International Stadium, Newcastle University, the newly opened sports centre at Northumbria University and Sunderland Aquatic Centre.  

Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said

“It’s a pleasure to be here in the North East today to officially launch the 2010 Sainsbury’s UK School Games and offer a taste of the excitement we can expect come September when this four day multi-sport event gets underway.

“With London 2012 a little over two years away, it is an incredibly exciting time for sport in the UK.  The Sainsbury’s UK School Games has a huge role to play in developing the competitive sporting opportunities there are for thousands of young people and also highlighting the opportunities there are for young people to officiate and volunteer in sport.”

The UK School Games’ key funding partner is the Legacy Trust UK who provides a significant grant to support delivery of the event’s theme through 2011.

Moira Swinbank, Chief Executive of Legacy Trust UK, said:

“Legacy Trust UK are proud to be funding the UK School Games and we are thrilled that Sainsbury’s are making such a significant contribution to the Games. By funding these Games, we are helping to ensure that young athletes from around the country have the opportunity to experience high-level sporting competition early in their lives.”