Rugby star Maggie Alphonsi, athlete Jessica Judd and Paralympian Tim Prendergast officially got the 2017 School Games underway last night in an opening ceremony hosted by the BBC’s Ben Croucher.
The Games are delivered by the Youth Sport Trust through Sport England National Lottery funding.
Ali Oliver, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said:
With the Games in its 12th year, it’s hard to believe how much the event has grown. There’s no doubt that all competitors will be inspired by the fantastic summer of sport and achievement of British athletes in the World Athletics Championships and the women’s football, cricket, hockey and rugby tournaments.
Along with the athlete’s village and accreditation process, the Opening Ceremony is one of many aspects of the Games which has been designed to replicate the experience of a major sporting event. Many of Team GB’s medallists in Rio were former School Games competitors. I’m sure we’ll see some of the competitors in this year’s Games competing at the highest level in Tokyo in 2020.
The School Games National Finals are being streamed live here: http://www.schoolgamesfinals.org/
