Venues & Events

Young people experience the Park’s sporting legacy for themselves

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Category: Venues & Events

Created on Monday, 23 April 2012 16:04

The young people aged between 11 and 19-years-old from the Six Host Boroughs, got the chance to try up to 13 different sports and activities in the Copper Box, where Olympians will be competing for medals in three months’ time.

The multi-sport event, which was opened by former 110m hurdler Tony Jarrett, was a glimpse into the future life of the venue, to be known as the Multi-Use Arena after the Games, when it reopens in 2013 as a multi-use, community venue.

The London Legacy Development Corporation will operate the venue as an affordable and accessible facility offering a full range of sports. Around 90% of its use will be dedicated to local communities with the cost of hiring a court the same as the average price of a local leisure centre.

Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: "Encouraging sport and healthy lifestyles in East London will be one of the most important legacies from the Olympic Park. Events like One Movement are a taste of things to come, as we work with local communities to make the best use of the Park’s world class facilities.

“Legacy plans are further ahead than any previous Olympic host city. This venue will be home to more than a dozen indoor sports after the Games and we are programming it now to ensure that sports clubs, schools and community events are the lifeblood of the venue.”

Eileen Taylor, Chair of the London Legacy 2020 Programme, said: “ELBA’s Legacy 2020 members have been working in partnership over the last six years towards creating a lasting social legacy for the communities in the Olympic Host Boroughs delivering projects in the field of skills, culture and sport. We are thrilled to launch our summer programme of One Movement sports festivals this year in the Olympic Park, alongside the ELBA mentoring and business support for 50 local sports clubs. During 2012, One Movement will encourage over 11,000 young people to try out a whole array of sports and fun activities with a view to creating longer-term participation.”

Olympian Tony Jarrett said: “Sport can change lives, and it is fantastic to see so many young people being given the opportunity to get involved before the Games have even started.

“The Copper Box is an inspiring venue and the fact that it will be used for community sport after the Games will be a special legacy for young people in London.”

The sports and activities for young people were set out in 11 different zones in the 7,500 seat Copper Box. They were handball, dance, judo, table tennis, athletics, cycling, rowing, pentathlon, new age kurling, resistance sliding and tennis.

They were put on by a host of sporting governing bodies and local sports groups including England Handball, East London Dance, British Judo and The Lawn Tennis Association.

The young people were signposted to local clubs so that they could continue to play the sports they enjoyed in their borough.

One Movement sport festivals are part of the In the Parks programme funded by The National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, and managed by ELBA with the support of the Development Corporation and London Legacy 2020.

The Development Corporation announced in January that the Multi-Use Arena and the Aquatics Centre would be operated by GLL and generate 254 full time jobs, 410 apprenticeships over the next 10 years with 85% of jobs going to people in the Host Boroughs.

As part of the contract, GLL will be doing outreach work in the surrounding boroughs in increase sports participation.