London 2012 Roadshow arrives at the RISE Festival

The Roadshow is touring the UK and visiting 27 stops over a ten-week tour in a specially branded double decker bus promoting the benefits of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

The theme of this year's Roadshow is 'Join In', aiming to encourage everyone – particularly young people – to be inspired by sport with a long-term aim of increasing their participation in the run up to 2012, creating a lasting legacy for the UK.

The Roadshow will feature a demonstration area, where visitors can take part in 'taster' sporting activities from Sport England, including Wheelchair Basketball, street dance, African dance, Rowing and Football. Information on local sports and fitness clubs in the London area are also available where visitors can continue to participate.

On board the Roadshow bus, visitors can access the new 2012 Challenge website, set their own challenge and be inspired by the Olympic Games to achieve it.

Midnight Madness basketball also hits the London 2012 Roadshow at RISE and visitors can watch the action throughout the day outside of the bus. The basketball phenomenon that combines music and gaming to all night basketball was originally set up to try to curb gun violence in London.

It aims to take young people off the street and channel their energies into something more positive. In 1999, 150 players entered the competition from an estate in London. Now, there are 40,000 members across the country. One person who entered is now playing in the NBA.

But rather than searching for a new basketball superstars, Midnight Basketball has not forgotten the main focus of the scheme and that is to 'create a positive community action' by getting more people into sport.

Visitors to the Roadshow can also take part in The National Lottery Dream Stats Zone to find out what it takes to be a sporting champion and how to get more involved with sport.

The Zone offers people the chance to try out the Dream Stats calculator – by answering a few simple questions, the online application matches their physical attributes and personal preferences to show what sports most suit them. Visitors can also assess their sporting aptitude for real, by taking a series of fun physical tests.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee commented: "The RISE festival celebrates the vibrant multi-cultural nature of the city of London and it is this vibrancy which was a vital part of us winning our bid to host The Games in 2012.

"We want to welcome the world to London in 2012 and we want everyone in London and the whole of Britain to be a part of it. London 2012 will be a nationwide Games and the Roadshow is only the first part of our pledge to involve everyone the length and breadth of the UK towards, and including, 2012.

"I am delighted that the Roadshow is able to visit the RISE Festival to demonstrate first hand how this is being undertaken and get the local community involved.

"We want to encourage young people to develop their sporting ability, to achieve something for themselves or to inspire others to unearth their own talents. Visiting the London 2012 Roadshow is a great first step to accomplishing this."

Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell said: "The Rise Festival is a tremendous advert for London as a cosmopolitan city and fits exactly with our wider ambition to use the Games to promote tolerance and diversity. I am therefore delighted that the Roadshow will be visiting again this year.

"Winning the right to host the Games has given us an extraordinary opportunity to transform sport in the UK and regenerate East London and I am determined to ensure that London and the UK’s diverse communities benefit fully."

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: "Each year, the RISE Festival is a clear statement of the fact that fighting racism is a daily fight and a political priority. London's successful bid for the Olympics was a large part down to the diverse and international character of our city and in the lead up to the 2012 Games, it is more important than ever to celebrate that character and demonstrate to the world that intolerance will not be accepted. The aim of the 2012 Roadshow is to encourage all communities to be part of the Games."

Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England said: "Our ambition is to get two million people participating more in sport by 2012. The London 2012 Roadshows have the power to inspire us all to play sport, from parents with their kids to older people wanting to keep fit. So we want everyone to come along, join in and get the sporting habit. This would be a sporting legacy we can all be proud of."

A National Lottery spokesperson said: "There has never been a better time to be inspired to get involved in sport, and the National Lottery Dream Stats Zone will offer people the opportunity to find out just what sport they might be suited to, via an exciting interactive programme.

"They can even take a number of fun physical tests aimed at further assessing their aptitude for a particular sport. The National Lottery is playing a major role in funding the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, and the Roadshow represents a great opportunity to highlight this and thank Lottery players for their fantastic contribution."

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For more information please contact: Sian Brenchley, Roadshow Press Officer on 0203 2012 251, Mob: 07824 491 554 sian.brenchley@london2012.com  

Notes to Editors:

• On most occasions, the Roadshow is being hosted by existing public events for which an admission charge may be made. A small number of events, for instance children's sports festivals, may not offer admission to the general public.
• The first 2012 Roadshow in July 2006 visited 65 locations, travelling 3,355 miles over a three week period.
• National Lottery funding will contribute up to £2.2 billion* towards the cost of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympics Games. £750 million of Good Causes money raised by sales of designated lottery games, such as the draw-based game Dream Number and certain Scratchcards and interactive games, will go towards funding the provision of facilities and supporting infrastructure of the 2012 Games. For more information contact Liz Parker on 020 7632 5746 / 07866 450 287 liz.parker@camelotgroup.co.uk *Subject to Parliamentary approval
• Sport England exists to sustain and increase participation in community sport. It is a non-departmental public body and Lottery distributor. Our ambition is to get two million people participating more in sport by 2012. We do this by promoting, advising and investing in community sport. For more information contact Alex Russell on 020 7273 1866.