London 2012 Project Gets Funding Boost

London 2012 has received a major funding boost to one of its programmes to promote sport to youth around the world.

Five more countries and £16m in funding have been added to the ambitious ‘International Inspiration’ project which hopes to reach 12m children in 20 countries, particularly in developing nations, by 2012.

‘Our vision is to use the Games to inspire change – changing lives is the driving force behind our plans,’ said London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe.

‘We took a clear promise to Singapore (where London won the right to stage the Games in 2005) to encourage the world’s youth to choose sport. This announcement is another key step towards delivering that promise.’

The legacy programme, a key plank in London’s vote-winning pledge to use the Games to raise participation in sport, was launched by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in India in January 2008.

Joining India in the first wave of countries were Azerbaijan, Brazil, Palau and Zambia.

Among the individual schemes launched under the ‘International Inspiration’ umbrella are a national physical education programme for rural schools in India, a plan to boost access to sports events and facilities in north-east Brazil and a sport-for-all drive in Azerbaijan.

The five new countries are Bangladesh, Ghana, Jordan, Mozambique and Trinidad and Tobago, and the additional funding is comprised of £5.4m from the Department for International Development and a match-funding commitment from the British Council of £10.2m.

This tops up the £9m already invested by those two backers and the Department of Media, Culture and Sport, the Premier League and UNICEF.

The ground-breaking scheme is being directed by the funding agency UK Sport.