London2012 eBulletin - July 2006

July 2006

Welcome to the first North East Olympics e-bulletin - delivering the latest news on how the region is seizing the opportunities presented by the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

North East England and the rest of the UK played a key part in London's successful bid to stage this country's first Olympics in more than sixty years.

And we are determined that the region will secure the maximum economic, social, sporting, public health and cultural gains from the London 2012 Games.

A snapshot of statistics compiled by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games reveals the sheer magnitude of staging the world's biggest sporting spectacle - 17,000 athletes and officials to feed, 70,000 officials to clothe, 9,000 homes in the Olympic village to construct and stadiums to build.

North East firms have the skills and expertise to win contracts across a myriad of sectors to meet these demands, including manufacturing, tourism, hospitality, merchandising, leisure, media and the creative industries.

North East England has already hit the ground running to meet this challenge with the formation of a North East Olympic Forum - headed by Tim Cantle-Jones, Chairman of the Regional Sports Board. The forum comprises sports, business and public sector representation, setting out plans to ensure our region shares in the benefits.

Preparation work for the London 2012 Games is gathering pace and we look forward to the region sharing in this global celebration of sport.
 

Olympic legend Coe unveils Gateshead's new sporting hub

Double Olympic champion Sebastian Coe has officially opened Gateshead International Stadium's new state-of-the-art £15m sports hall.

The two-storey development boasts top quality sports facilities including an 82-metre long athletics training hall with six sprint lanes, sports science facility and fitness room.

The centre will be the home of the English Institute of Sport (EIS) in the North East and Gateshead College's Academy for Sport, which provides full time courses for more than 300 students, as well as part time courses and programmes for employers.

Two-times Olympic 1500m champion Lord Coe gave his official stamp of approval to the new centre, expressed its importance in the run up to the London 2012 Games and its role as a community-based facility.

"The main driver of the medal tally in London is going to be in centres like this," said Lord Coe at the opening ceremony last month. "This is where those medals are going to be won and lost."

"I am sure that when we get all the facilities that are available to us, we are looking absolutely for facilities like this (at Gateshead), not just state-of-the-art bricks and mortar but also a critical mass of coaching and medical back-up and expertise to help competitors."

One NorthEast Chairman Margaret Fay, the Agency's Director of Communications Stacy Hall and Sport England North East Regional Director Judith Rasmussen seized the opportunity at the opening ceremony to present Lord Coe with a new DVD commissioned by the region to highlight its passion for sport.

Regional vision

North East England's approach to capitalising on the London 2012 Games has been encapsulated in the following regional vision that outlines our aspirations for 2012 and beyond:

'The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games provide North East England with a global opportunity to celebrate its passion for sport, showcase the world class places and talented people that will inspire participation in sport and physical activity and leave tangible legacies for current and future generations.'

This is a powerful vision for North East England. To make it happen will require everyone working together to create equal opportunities for people to participate in the many benefits that the London 2012 Games will bring to the region.

One NorthEast will lead on regional issues relating to business procurement, tourism and image and cultural opportunities in the run up to, during and after the London 2012 Games. The regional development agency will work jointly with Sport England on issues relating to facilities, preparation camps and skills. Sport England will lead on issues relating to performance sport, children and young people and health. Both agencies are committed to ensuring increased participation in sport and physical activity and a lasting legacy are the key outcomes from all the region's efforts.

For further information regarding the London 2012 Games regional structure, please contact Tanya Gray, One NorthEast Sport Specialist Advisor tanya.gray@onenortheast.co.uk

Olympics on the road

North East England will be well represented at a London 2012 Games Economic Summit designed to explore the business, tourism and cultural benefits from the Games.

The summit - hosted by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport - will take place in Leeds on July 19th.

One NorthEast has been asked to co-ordinate the regional invitation list to this summit and a range of partners will be in attendance, feeding back information to their regional networks.

And two days later a London 2012 Games Roadshow will call in the North East - on its way around the country - to celebrate the announcement one year ago that London had fought off competition from the likes of Paris and New York to win the right to stage the 2012 Games.

Olympic sporting greats, ministers and Games organisers will be aboard a red London double decker bus, calling on July 21st at Darlington, Sunderland and Newcastle to view cultural, business and school-based activities, showing the North East's passion and commitment in supporting the London 2012 Games.

For further information regarding the Economic Summit and the Games Roadshow please contact Tanya Gray tanya.gray@onenortheast.co.uk

This is a bi-monthly e-bulletin for North East England key stakeholders of London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.