Press Release - 27.06.2006

Dame Kelly Holmes travelled to Glasgow today to see the preparations for, and lend her support to the UK School Games in her role as the national school sport champion for England.

The double Olympic gold medallist met potential Scottish competitors and tried her hand at a number of unfamiliar sports such as fencing and table tennis, as well as casting her eye over young hopefuls from her own sport of athletics.

Dame Kelly said:

"I am passionate about ensuring support for young elite performers and providing high quality competition opportunities. The UK School Games is a great example of such an opportunity and I'm sure all the competitors will gain valuable experience at this event."

Dame Kelly also held a question and answer session with competitors and a number of young volunteers who will take part in the inaugural UK School Games in Glasgow from 7th to 10th September.

Dame Kelly said:

"It's great to be back in Glasgow and I'm really enjoying being able to work with talented youngsters like the Scottish UK School Games competitors. I hope that as national school sport champion I can give them some useful advice which will help them in future competitions."

The former middle distance runner was always a big hit when she competed in Glasgow and believes the appetite for sport in the city is as strong as ever.

Dame Kelly said:

"I have competed in Glasgow many times at both Scotstoun Stadium and the Kelvin Hall and have always enjoyed great support in the city. I think it's a great choice to host the inaugural UK School Games and I'm sure all the visitors to Glasgow will have an enjoyable experience."

Tickets for the 2006 UK School Games went on sale today and are available by telephone on 0870 405 0445 or online at www.ukschoolgames.com.

The UK School Games will be funded by the Millennium Commission who will provide a National Lottery grant of £1.5m.

The Youth Sport Trust is responsible for staging the Games, which will include athletics, swimming, gymnastics, table tennis and fencing plus disability events in athletics and swimming.

Athletics, Fencing and table tennis will take place at Scotstoun Stadium, swimming at Tollcross pool and gymnastics at the Kelvin Hall.

The UK School Games is also being supported by Glasgow City Council, Sportscotland, EventScotland and Visa as presenting sponsor.

Download the press release as a PDF

Notes to editors:

1. The Millennium Commission is a distributor of funds raised by the National Lottery and it has distributed over £2 billion to hundreds of project and thousands of people around the UK. Its funding programmes have included a major national programme of capital projects, including the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow, Odyssey in Belfast and new sports facilities with soccer and ten five-a-side pitches at Mile End Park in East London. The Millennium Commission's income from the National Lottery ceased in August 2001. For further information please contact: Shabana Pathan, Communications Officer, Millennium Commission, 1 Plough Place, London, EC4A 1DE. Tel: 020 7880 2071 Mobile: 07771 565 606 Fax: 020 7880 2000; www.millennium.gov.uk

2. The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity established in 1994 to build a brighter future for young people through sport. Its mission is to support the education and development of all young people through sport. Please visit www.youthsporttrust.org for more information.

3. Fast Track is delivering event management and media services for UK School Games with the Youth Sport Trust.

4. Visa's corporate commitment to the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Movement, the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees and national teams and individuals, has been an important factor in ensuring the continuance and success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Visa is signed up as a worldwide partner to both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games until 2012 and as such is firmly committed to the success of London 2012.

5. EventScotland is the national organisation for sports and cultural events and co-ordinates the delivery of the Major Events Strategy published by the Scottish Executive in November 2002. The strategy is designed to maximise the benefits of existing events, to attract new events, to showcase Scotland's assets and to encourage more people to visit Scotland to experience at first hand major sporting and cultural events being staged in the country. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and the latest event news please visit www.EventScotland.org

6. sportscotland are the national body for sport in Scotland and are dedicated to increasing participation and improving performances in Scottish sport. Its plays a leading role in driving forward Sport 21 the national strategy for sport in Scotland through partnerships with the public, private and voluntary sectors. sportscotland also distributes the Lottery Sports Fund in Scotland.

7. The BBC has been confirmed as the official broadcast partner for UK School Games in 2006.