2010 London Olympics: Ministers to announce launching of school 'Olympics'

Competitive sport is set to be revived in England's schools with the launch of a national competition based around the Olympics, ministers say.
The initiative is to be announced by the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Education Secretary Michael Gove at the City of London Academy on Monday.
They will say the aim is to ensure the 2012 London Olympics leaves a lasting sporting legacy.
From the National Lottery the schools competition will be funded by cash.
Events will involve a wide range of sports including football, rugby, netball, golf, cricket, tennis, athletics, judo, gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, cycling and volleyball.
'Lessons for life'
From 2011, schools will compete against each other in district leagues, with winning athletes and teams qualifying for up to 60 county finals, with the most talented then selected for national finals.
In the run up to the 2012 Games the first championship will take place, with paralympic style events staged in parallel for young people with disabilities.
Mr Hunt told the Daily Mail: "I want to give a real boost to competitive sport in schools using the power of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games to encourage young people - whatever age or ability - to take part in this new competition.
"Sport - whether you win or lose - teaches young people great lessons for life. It encourages teamwork, dedication and striving to be the best that you can be."
Lottery funding of up to £10m a year, distributed by Sport England, will be used to create a new sports league structure for primary and secondary schools, culminating in the 2012 finals.
Mr Gove said: "We need to revive competitive sport in our schools. Fewer than a third of school pupils take part in regular competitive sport within schools, and fewer than one in five take part in regular competition between schools. The School Olympics give us a opportunity to different that for good."

London Olympics Sports college pupils inspired

The Olympic Stadium group members are the Jodie Major, Connor Hale, Leanne Spurway, Charlotte Ottley, Danny Ellwood, Adam Kirkland, Damien Lybech-Harris and Jade Brathwaite with teachers Max Gayler and Emma Lomax.

POTENTIAL sporting stars of the future from an Oxfordshire school have been getting into the Olympic spirit by visiting the site of the 2012 games in London.
Eight pupils at King Alfred’s Specialist Sports College who have made significant progress on their Btec sport course this year toured the Olympic Park at Stratford, in East London, to look construction of the major venues.
King Alfred’s was among 60 schools invited to visit the Olympic Park as a reward for joining the London 2012 Get Set network. It is for schools across the UK which have demonstrated a commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic ideals and values.
Headteacher Nicholas Young said: “I’m very pleased that King Alfred's was selected for this wonderful chance for our students.
“As one of the first specialist sports colleges in the UK, we’re very excited by the 2012 Olympics and all the opportunities for our young people to be involved.”
Year 10 pupil Jodie Major was among the budding sportsmen and women who toured the site, seeing the construction work in progress on the Olympic Stadium, aquatics centre, velodrome and handball arena.
She said: “I thought the Olympic Park was really good.
“They have made great progress on building it and a lot of the buildings are eco-friendly. I know it will look great when it’s done.
“I’m happy we are hosting the 2012 Olympics as I think we will stand a better chance of winning medals.”
The Olympic Park is expected to cost £9.3bn.
Jodie said: “That’s a lot of money to be spent on something but part of the reason we won the bid was that the park is sustainable after the games.”
She said she particularly liked the wave-shaped Aquatics Centre.
Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of the organising committee of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, said: “I’m delighted King Alfred’s won this opportunity.
“I hope the pupils were inspired to return to Wantage and continue their work on Olympic and Paralympic projects as part of our education programme.”
As well as seeing some of the world class sporting facilities under construction – and posing for a photograph on the Greenway, a walkway overlooking the site – the pupils learned about the environmental and community programmes running on the Olympic Park.