UKSG athletes represent Team GB at Youth Olympics

Thursday 12 August 2010

Former Sainsbury’s UK School Games athletes are among a 40-strong squad who will be competing for Team GB at the first Youth Olympic Games, which take place in Singapore from 14-26 August.

The athletes, aged 14-18, will participate alongside 3,600 competitors from all 205 National Olympic Committees in a competition schedule featuring all 26 sports on the London 2012 Olympic Programme.

The British contingent, who will compete in 16 Olympic sports, include former Sainsbury’s UK School Games competitor Victoria Ohuruogu, younger sister of current Olympic 400m champion Christine.

Victoria, a pupil at St Edward’s School, in Romford, is joined by Andrew Elkins, David Bolarinwa, Freya Jones, Themba Luhana, Zak Seddon, Georgia Peel, Louisa James, Sophie McKinna, Annie Tagoe [all athletes], Amy Radford, Alex Tofalides [both fencers], Laura Mitchell [gymnastics], Ellie Faulkner [swimming] and Sarah Milne [badminton].

Another member of Team GB who is familiar to the Youth Sport Trust is canoeist Andrew Martin. Andrew attended the Trust’s 2008 National Talent Orientation Camp.

Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “The Sainsbury’s UK School Games and Youth Olympic Games share the same crucial ingredient, namely to create a life-changing opportunity for young talent to learn, develop and excel through sport. There are very few major, multi-sport events that provide young developing athletes with this unique environment, opening and closing ceremonies and an athletes’ village, which are special to senior competitions like the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games.

“The Youth Sport Trust also continues to support the development of the UK’s elite young athletes through our National Talent Orientation Camp.

“We would like to wish all 40 members of Team GB the very best of luck in Singapore and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how they get on, particularly those who have worked with us at the Trust.”

Themba, who won 100m hurdles gold at the 2009 UK School Games and attends Abbeyfield School, in Northamptonshire, said: “The UK School Games provides a great experience, especially with so many sports in one place and an athletes’ village.”

The success of the Games, which began in 2006 and count double Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds as another former competitor, has inspired close interest from organisers of the Youth Olympic Games.

In 2009, Ren Kai, Athlete Role Model Programme Manager for the Culture and Education Programme at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee attended the event in South Wales.

This led to the sharing of practice and ideas taken from the UK School Games to implement at the Youth Olympic Games, in particular, the use of elite athlete role models from performance sport to work face-to-face with the young athletes.

This sees the elite mentors sharing unique experiences with the young competitors and encouraging real time learning, from eating with them in the dining hall, sharing their bus journeys to and from the sports venues to being with them as they practise and compete at the event.

This year’s Sainsbury’s UK School Games will be held in North East England from the 2nd - 5th September.

The 10 sports will be split across three cities; Gateshead will host Athletics, Judo and Badminton at the Gateshead International Stadium, Gymnastics at Gateshead Leisure Centre and Road Cycling. Newcastle will play host to Hockey at Newcastle University Longbenton Sports Ground, Volleyball at the new £30million sports facility Northumbria University Sport Central and Criterium Cycling in Leazes Park. Finally Sunderland will stage Fencing and Table Tennis at Sunderland Silkworth Community Pool, Tennis and Wellness Centre and Swimming at the Sunderland Aquatics Centre.