Hoy Urges Children To Build On Olympic Inspiration
Just days after becoming Team GB’s greatest ever Olympian – with an additional two gold medals in the London 2012 Velodrome – Sir Chris Hoy switched his focus to inspiring the future stars of Team GB and ParalympicsGB and school children across the UK to play more sport.
As Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week ambassador, Hoy is now working to ensure there is a lasting legacy from the excitement the nation is currently feeling about playing sport, inspired by Team GB’s home nation performances.
The aim is to build on the success of Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week, which has seen more than 21,000 schools and almost nine million children participating in the programme since it began in 2009.
Sir Chris Hoy said: ‘Team GB has had phenomenal success during London 2012 it has been great to see the positive impact the Games is having on children and adults the length and breadth of the country. Research shows that programmes like Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week can encourage children to play more sport and I’m delighted that Lloyds TSB is continuing its support for National School Sport Week 2013.’
‘I had the opportunity to play a wide variety of sports at school, as did a lot of our Team GB and ParalympicsGB heroes, and I know that in order to motivate more children it’s about providing opportunities and fun experiences to keep them engaged. Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week has been successful in achieving that as demonstrated by the number of children who are inspired to play more sport after the week. Following the fantastic performances during London 2012, I hope National School Sport Week 2013 will provide a legacy for school sport.’
Research released today by Lloyds TSB, Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, reveals that National School Sport Week, delivered in partnership with Youth Sport Trust, has a positive impact on children’s ongoing participation in sport.
More than 4.3 million young people from 11,000 schools across the UK participated in National School Sport Week in 2012 which saw 64% of pupils wanting to play more sport afterwards as a result.
With 85% of participating children enjoying National School Sport Week 2012 and wanting to take part in it again next year, Lloyds TSB committed to continuing its support of the programme for another year, post-Games.
Sally Hancock, Director London 2012 Partnership, Lloyds Banking Group added: ‘When we became the first partner of London 2012 our goal was to bring the Games closer to communities across the country. National School Sport Week has enabled us to do just this, reaching 89% of schools across the UK over the four years we have supported it. With schools and children emphatically demonstrating how much the week means to them and seeing first hand the positive impact that the inspiration of London 2012 and National School Sport Week has had on children’s sports participation we felt compelled to continue our support for the week.’
Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week 2013 will take place in June (dates TBC) and will encourage schools to build upon the inspiration of London 2012. Schools will be able to register to take part from September 2012.
