alt COMPETITORS from 29 nations take to the streets of Leamington tomorrow for the most prestigious athletics event ever to take place in Warwickshire, which is being supported by the Coventry Warwickshire 2012 Partnership.

The European Cup of race walking will see 320 of Europe's top walkers - including reigning Olympic 20km champion Ivano Brugnetti of Italy - compete in and around the town's Victoria Park, which over the last decade has become the home of the sport in Britain.
 
A five-race programme begins at 8am with the men's 50km (31.2 miles) where the field is led by Norway's Trond Nymark, the silver medallist at last year's Wold Cup, and former world champion Jesus Garcia of Spain.
 
The top two in the world this year, European champion Ryta Turava of Belarus and Norway's 2000 Olympic silver medallist Kirstej Platzer, go head to head in the women's 20km (1.30pm).
 
The meeting is being staged on behalf of the European AA by UK Athletics, Race Walking Association (RWA) and Warwick District Council, and is the centrepiece of the RWA's centenary celebrations.
 
The RWA was founded in 1907 in order to formalise and standardise the rules ahead of the 1908 London Olympic Games, and race walking is Britain's most successful discipline in the Olympic athletics programme with six gold medals in a total haul of 15.
 
 
Special guests of honour will be 1964 Olympic 20km champion Ken Matthews and 50km silver medallist Paul Nihill, and four-times Olympic champion Robert Korzeniowski of Poland will also be in attendance.
 
 
Title sponsors are local light engineering firms Integrated Hydraulics and NP Aerospace. More than 200 volunteers will help out at the event which is being supported by Coventry Warwickshire 2012 Partnership and the Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands.
 
 
Tom Clift, 2012 opportunities co-ordinator, said: "This is a major event in the athletics calendar and it is certain to feature prospective 2012 medallists.
 
"It is a major achievement for the town to stage the cup as Coventry and Warwickshire gears itself up to host many international sporting events in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
 
"It is also an opportunity to showcase the fantastic facilities we have in Coventry and Warwickshire as television cameras from around Europe descend on Leamington to broadcast the event."