SIA 11 To Support International Inspiration
The Sport Industry Group is delighted to announce that the Sport Industry Awards 2011 ceremony will be supporting International Inspiration, the international legacy programme of the London 2012 Games, with all monies raised on the night going towards the International Inspiration programme.
2011 is a landmark year for the Sport Industry Awards, the annual celebration of the commercial achievements of the UK sport business, with the upcoming ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the flagship industry event.
A sell-out crowd of 1,600 high-profile industry representatives and sporting celebrities will gather at this year’s Awards ceremony in central London on Wednesday 11th May, where attendees will be asked to support International Inspiration.
Through its delivery partners UK Sport, UNICEF and British Council, International Inspiration aims to use the power of physical education, sport and play to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities in twenty countries across the world.
With over a year to go until London 2012, International Inspiration recently announced that the programme has now reached over 10.8 million children worldwide and is well on its way to achieving its vision of reaching 12 million in 20 countries by the time of the Games.
Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: ‘I’m thrilled that International Inspiration is being supported by the Sport Industry Awards 2011. When we bid to host the Games, we were clear about our vision – to use the power of the Games to inspire children and young people around the world to choose sport.
‘I’ve been lucky enough to have met some of the young people being reached through International Inspiration and I can tell you that their stories have inspired me and demonstrated how much the London 2012 Games can positively impact people’s lives. International Inspiration is pushing the global message that sport matters and I’m proud that we are reaching our vision.’
Among the specific achievements of the programme to date include 80,000 children in Bangladesh being taught survival swimming in a country where thousands of children drown annually; and 1.5 million young people in Zambia being involved with awareness-raising projects that encourage children to discuss issues such as HIV and AIDS.
