The campaign, organised by Universities UK and British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS), features a number of events and activities climaxing in the Podium Awards and the BUCS Visa Outdoor Athletics Championships in the Olympic Stadium.
Universities have been important to the preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; serving as a vital source of expertise, facilities, and the Games workforce. London 2012 has engaged directly with Universities and Colleges through its work with Podium (the Further and Higher Education Unit for the 2012 Games).
Today sees the launch of the first of two reports being launched this week to recognise the contribution of higher education to London 2012. The first report – Olympic and Paralympic Games: The impact of universities – looks at universities, the Olympic Games and sport. It showcases the diverse contribution that higher education is making to the 2012 Games across numerous areas.
Seb Coe, LOCOG Chair, said: ‘I am delighted to be supporting Universities Week 2012 which is celebrating the Higher Education sector’s engagement with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Universities have been essential to London 2012; through the provision of expertise, facilities, volunteers and many of Team GB and ParalympicsGB’s potential medal hopefuls.’
Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: ‘Universities have been quick off the mark to make a significant contribution to London 2012 and it is testament to their quality and reputation both at home and abroad. Universities Week allows us to celebrate the successful track record of our institutions and gives them a deserving spot on the podium.’
Universities involvement in the Games has been wide ranging:
• Over 70 training camp deals have been signed with Higher Education institutions; including Team GB at Loughborough University and Paralympics GB at the University of Bath.
• Tens of thousands of students will be working or volunteering at the Games through the ‘Summer Job of a Lifetime’ and ‘Games Maker’ programmes.
• 37 of the 61 athletes currently selected for Team GB are current students, or have previously been to university.
• Thousands of student volunteer performers and hundreds of student technical volunteers will be involved in the London 2012 Ceremonies.
• Greenwich University and Royal Holloway will both serve as Games-time venues in London with Strathclyde, Warwick, Newcastle and Cardiff Universities all providing training facilities for the football tournament.
Universities Week will feature the Podium Awards, which is a prestigious one-off celebration recognising the vital role colleges and universities across the UK have played in delivering the London 2012 Games. Over 200 projects have been nominated for the awards across eight categories, with the winners due to be announced at a ceremony on Thursday May 3rd.
The week culminates in the BUCS Visa Outdoor Athletics Championships (OAC) at the Olympic Stadium, a London 2012 test event as part of the London Prepares Series. 1,200 student athletes from institutions around the UK will be competing for glory across 15 disciplines between 4-7 May. The games which include the ‘2012 hours to go’ event will give students a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience competition at an Olympic and Paralympic venue.
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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://www.london2012.com/blog or follow us on Twitter
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Notes to editors:
The Universities Week campaign is being coordinated by Universities UK and British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS).
It is supported by universities across the UK and a wide range of organisations including Podium, the National Union of Students (NUS), Research Councils UK, GuildHE, the Universities Marketing Forum, Higher Education Funding Council for England and many more.
Further details about Universities Week 2012 can be found at www.universitiesweek.org.uk
Further information about Podium and the Podium Awards can be found at www.podium.ac.uk and www.podiumawards2012.com
London 2012 Games partners:
The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.
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-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield.
There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games-only Partner, Sainsbury’s and two domestic Tier Three Paralympic Games-only Suppliers, Otto Bock and Panasonic. The London 2012 Paralympic Games also acknowledges the support of the National Lottery.
