altMARCH 6 - OLYMPIC gold medallist Darren Campbell (pictured) today helped launch the 2010 UK School Games, which will be held in Wales for the first time, during a ceremony at Cardiff Castle.

 

Campbell, who lives in South Wales, owed much of his career, which culminated in being part of the British 4x100 metres relay team that won the gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, to the foundations laid down by being a successful junior.

 

He said: “I am delighted to be the Ambassador for the 2009 UK School Games in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.

 

“As a young athlete trying to forge a career in elite sport, I would have loved to have been able to mix with hundreds of other athletes, learn from them and compete on a national stage against the best in my age group.

 

“These are exactly the opportunities the UK School Games in South Wales are going to present each competitor, which will stand them in tremendous stead as they look to grow in their sport, be the best they can be and start believing that anything is possible.”

 

Wales is not just setting a first in hosting the multi-event either, for it also marks the debut of a new sport, track cycling, which will join athletics, badminton, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, judo, swimming, table tennis and volleyball, with disability events in swimming, athletics and table tennis, including learning disability for swimming and table tennis. 

 

Up to 1,600 youngsters are expected to take part in the Games, which last year were held in Bath and Bristol.

 

Alun Ffred Jones, the Welsh Minister for sport said: "The Welsh Assembly Government is delighted to be supporting the UK School Games, which will inspire and engage young people to participate in competitive sport.

 

“In the build-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the UK School Games offer a fantastic opportunity for our leading school-aged athletes to compete against the very best in their sport and to get vital early experience of an elite multi-sport event environment. 

 

“Wales has produced, and continues to produce, great athletes who have excelled at Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games level, and we are proud to be associated with an event that will help nurture the elite senior athletes and champions of the future. 

 

“I hope that during their stay the competitors and support staff, their supporters and their families will enjoy the warm Welsh welcome, experience something of the distinctiveness of Wales and our wide range of attractions, and above all, our enduring passion for sport."

 

Steve Grainger, the chief executive of the Sport Youth Trust, said: “It is a pleasure to be here in Wales today to officially launch the 2009 UK School Games and offer a taste of the excitement we can expect come September when this four day multi-sport event gets underway.

 

“From the opening and closing ceremonies, to the elite level sporting action that will be witnessed at the venues in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, the 2009 UK School Games will offer a truly memorable experience for the competitors, young volunteers, officials and spectators.

 

“Hearing today of Darren Campbell’s own experiences of sport at a young age and the impact that competitive sport at this level had on his career, highlights how important it is to offer talented young sportspeople a platform to be the very best they can be.”