Seb Coe, Chair of LOCOG said: 'I am thrilled to announce that the International Inspiration programme has reached over 10 million children and young people. This is a fantastic achievement and means that more than 15 months out from the London 2012 Games we are well on our way to achieving our vision to reach 12 million children and young people in 20 countries.
‘I have been lucky enough to meet some of the young people being reached through International Inspiration and to have seen how the programme is providing them with more opportunities in life. Sport can be a real change for good and I'm very proud that London 2012 is enabling this to happen to millions of young people around the world.'
International Inspiration is bringing to life the promise made by the London 2012 bid team where they pledged to reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport.
The programme works with local communities, teachers, coaches and governments to improve children’s lives and give them the chance to take part in sport and play. Through sport, young people learn how to become leaders, be positive role models and inspire their peers.
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; 1.5 million young people and their families in Zambia being involved with awareness-raising projects that encourage children to discuss issues such as HIV and AIDS and 67,000 schools in India adopting a new teacher resource allowing millions of children to take part in high-quality PE.
International Inspiration is London 2012’s official international sports legacy programme which 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. The key delivery partners for International Inspiration are UK Sport, UNICEF and British Council.
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For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://blog.london2012.com or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012
Notes to editors
About International Inspiration
The International Inspiration programme is governed by an independent charitable foundation. It is delivered through a partnership between UK Sport, UNICEF, British Council and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and supported by other partners including the UK Government, including the Department for International Development, the Youth Sport Trust, the Premier League, the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association and individual donors.
To enable longer-term impact, the programme is developed jointly with the governments, National Olympic Committees and National Paralympic Committees, where appropriate, of participating countries. The programme is supported and welcomed by the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee.
The vision of International Inspiration is to use the power of sport to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities in schools and communities across the world, particularly developing countries, by offering them the opportunity to access and participate in high-quality and inclusive sport, physical education and play. The programme is already changing the lives of young people in fifteen countries – Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Jordan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey and Zambia, with work beginning in Tanzania and has already enriched the lives of 10.8 million children and young people.
International Inspiration was developed as a result of the commitment made by the London Bid team in Singapore in 2005 to ‘reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport’.
About London 2012
As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty three domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, Next, The Nielsen Company, Populous, Rapiscan, Technogym, Ticketmaster and Trident.
There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games Partner, Sainsbury’s and one Tier Three Paralympic Games supplier, Otto Bock.
The Worldwide Olympic Partners signed up for London 2012 are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, Dow Chemical Company, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa
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