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Sebastian Coe: If we keep up the momentum, then everyone can be an Olympic winner
WITH 990 days to go until the start of the 2012 Olympic Games, I am thrilled to be visiting Yorkshire today to meet some of the many people who are inspired by, benefiting from and helping to deliver the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The visit is a great opportunity to see first-hand the benefits that Yorkshire has already won from the 2012 Games in areas like local sports participation, education and attracting international athletes.
The region's successes are growing as businesses continue to win work to supply the Olympic Delivery Authority, the building arm of London 2012, and the best of Yorkshire's artistic community responded to the Artists Taking the Lead brief with Leeds Canvas, the city wide arts collaboration winning the 500,000 commission for a public work of art.
Just last week, the London 2012 Organising Committee announced 700m of contracts to deliver the events themselves, so there is all to play for in terms of further business wins.
Yorkshire Gold, the regional committee for the Games, has chosen to focus today's visit on South Yorkshire and I am particularly delighted to come back to Sheffield, my home city, where I started my athletics career. It was here that I started running at school, joined my first athletics club and represented Sheffield in competition.
The city made me who I am and I am greatly looking forward to visiting some of the projects inspired by the London 2012 Games.
Sheffield takes enormous pride in its sporting sons and daughters. Yet the city's laid back nature means its stars remain grounded and focused. These are characteristics personified by Jessica Ennis, Sheffield's world champion heptathlete.
So first stop today, I will be meeting Jessica at the English Institute of Sport to acknowledge both her brilliant success as well as her status as a role model inspiring young people to get involved in track and field.
I am also looking forward to meeting some of the area's other top athletes like Sarah Stevenson, Kevin Hayes and Sue Gilroy who will be running master classes for local school children and coaching young people involved in the Sheffield Academy of Young Leaders in Sport (SAYLS) project.
SAYLS is designed to encourage young people to volunteer and lead on sport at school and in the community. That is why I am pleased to be awarding it our groundbreaking London 2012 Inspire Mark in recognition of its work to increase sports participation in the city.
The SAYLS scheme is one of 10 Inspire Mark projects running in the region and Yorkshire Gold is ahead of the pack by appointing James Tabberer, the nation's first Inspire Programme Manager. He will broker the partnerships to ensure Yorkshire's work in education, culture, sports participation, enterprise and sustainability is recognised by our Inspire Programme.
My second stop of the day is to my old school, Tapton, to see what 2012 related activities its pupils are involved in. There I will also meet David Jackson, the former Tapton teacher who introduced me to running. The school is one of 622 in Yorkshire involved in London 2012's "Get Set" Education Programme, so it is clear that the region is embracing the learning opportunity the 2012 Games has created. I can't wait to see what is going on where it all started for me years ago.
Ponds Forge International Sports Centre is the final visit of the day. One of the many benefits of London 2012 that will reach across the whole of the UK is the Pre-Games Training Camp scheme where visiting Olympic and Paralympic teams from around the world will base themselves to train for competition. Here too, Yorkshire has got ahead of the game and has already signed up Serbian National Olympic Committee.
Serbia fielded a team of 89 athletes at the Beijing Games, so their requirement for the very best of facilities in a broad mix of sports will be well served by both Sheffield and Leeds.
I look forward to hearing more on the social and community links that can be forged from these training camps when I meet members of the Serbian National Olympic Committee later today.
Many more countries will undoubtedly be attracted to the very warm welcome and use of world-class sporting facilities they are assured of
in Yorkshire.
We always said that the benefits of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games must be shared across the whole country. Yorkshire is making solid progress in seeking opportunities from the 2012 Games. Success breeds success and I urge everyone to keep up the momentum.
Lord Coe is chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. He is visiting Sheffield today to see how Yorkshire can capitalise on the Olympics.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
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