From 31 August to 3 September, Loughborough University’s campus was home to around 1,600 of the UK’s most talented young athletes, as they competed across 12 sports, seven of which included disability disciplines.
For many of the athletes the School Games, which were supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, represented their first taste of a major multi-sport competition. They lived in a dedicated athletes’ village, took part in an Opening Ceremony and performed in front of huge crowds of spectators.
The athletes were following in the footsteps of some of Britain’s biggest sporting stars who have competed at the event before going on to senior international success. Previous competitors include Paralympic champions Hannah Cockroft, Ellie Simmonds and Jonnie Peacock, Olympic champion Adam Peaty, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson and GB sprinter Adam Gemili.
Ali Oliver, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust – the national children’s charity which delivers the School Games - said: “Congratulations to the talented young athletes who made this year’s School Games such a spectacular four days of sport. Since the first School Games just over a decade ago, almost 20,000 school-aged children have had the opportunity to compete in this high-level multi-sport competition which has helped prepare some of our top sporting talent for success at the Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Our thanks go to the National Lottery for their funding through Sport England and the many partner organisations and volunteers who helped make the 2017 School Games such a success.
“The School Games Finals showcases the best of school sport, but there is a lot more to it than an elite sporting competition. From the thousands of schools taking part in School Games competitions throughout the year through to the National Finals at Loughborough University, these events are about inspiring young people of all abilities to achieve their potential both on and off the field. It’s a fantastic example of the power of sport to enrich and improve young people’s lives.
“For all at the YST today we start a new academic year and look forward to working with more schools to unlock the power of sport to help young people achieve their potential not just in sport but in life.”
A round of each day’s action is available on the School Games website, along with details of the results for every sport.
For further information contact: Hannah Baldwin, Loughborough University, T: 01509 222239, E: h.e.baldwin@lboro.ac.uk, @lborouniPR