|
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has unveiled details of a multi-million pound drive to increase participation in sport across the capital as part of his 2012 sporting legacy commitment. The move is designed to inspire Londoners of all ages and abilities to get active and includes a £340,000 investment in around 120 projects across the capital this summer and next year as part of 'Playsport London: FreeSport'. Throughout July, August and September, Londoners will have the opportunity to try out a variety of different sports and other physical pursuits including tennis, football, cricket, rugby and swimming. Activities also include trampolining, basketball and martial arts, volleyball, boxing and dance, and there are activities specifically aimed at young families, disabled and older Londoners. FreeSport is part of the Mayor's £30m commitment to create a sporting legacy up to and after the Olympic and Paralympic Games, by supporting an array of sporting activities and initiatives across the capital. The aim is to inspire Londoners to get more active and increase participation, by investing in grassroots sport, improving sporting infrastructure and building capacity and skills. This funding is on top of £7m that has been made available for organisations wanting to improve their facilities and £4m for sporting initiatives aimed at promoting better health, improving social cohesion and tackling crime. A further £3m has been set aside to develop skills that will enable people to train and coach youngsters. Johnson said: ‘With the drama of the World Cup unfolding on our TV screens and the excitement of another fabulous Wimbledon tournament, we are seeing some of the greatest sportspeople in the world in action at the moment. ‘As we build up to the 2012 Games, we want to inspire and encourage more Londoners to get active and have a go for themselves - particularly the youngsters who could be this country's sporting stars of the future. Whatever your age, ability or proclivity, there's a sport or activity to suit, so give it a go.’ Other funding is already being invested to improve access in parts of the capital that may lack facilities such as the 'Make A Splash' programme. Mobile pools are currently installed in Camden and Greenwich with new locations set to be announced. We are passionate about playground equipment and sport equipment and the benefits it can offer young people. Along with making them more active and healthy sport can play a central role in developing young people's confidence and helps develop team work and wider social skills. The Mayor is also supporting sporting events that encourage competition amongst young Londoners, with almost £85,000 invested in this year's Panathlon Challenge, a pan-London Paralympic style tournament involving around 1,000 disabled youngsters. Other events include the London United Community Cup and FC Unity Cup, which are linked to the bid to host the World Cup in 2018, and the Mayor will officially launch next week's London Youth Games at Crystal Palace.
Related Articles -
fitness equipment, weight training equipment, elliptical trainer, cross trainer, gym equipment,
|
