Video: Sports stars support London 2012 legacy programme in new online video
27 April 2012
Football superstar David Beckham, ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius, rowing legend Matthew Pinsent and Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis are just a few of the international sports stars who have thrown their support behind London 2012’s International Inspiration sports legacy programme in an inspiring short film.
The three minute online video features well-known current and former athletes from sports including football, athletics, tennis and rowing, alongside young people who have benefited from the programme in countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Egypt.
The athletes are asked to tell the viewer how they’ve been inspired by sport.
The film is being used to promote International Inspiration’s Inspired by Sport photography exhibition at the Museum of London next week.
The exhibition is the culmination of work by International Inspiration, a unique partnership between UNICEF, the British Council and UK Sport, to realise London 2012’s legacy promise to enrich the lives of 12 million children in 20 countries in time for this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, a double-feat the programme achieved in February this year.
World-famous photographer Rankin has teamed up with London 2012 Organising Committee Chair Seb Coe and a host of Olympic and Paralympic athletes for the exhibition which features photographs of Seb Coe, Denise Lewis, Colin Jackson, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Louise Hazel and James Ellington. The photographs convey the inspirational power of sport and feature alongside images – taken by a host of international photographers – of young people around the world whose lives have been enriched by the programme and are inspired by sport.
Each photograph demonstrates how International Inspiration is harnessing the power of inclusive physical education, sport and play to address issues such as gender equality, gang violence, lack of educational opportunities, life skills development, HIV / AIDS education and intercultural awareness in countries from Azerbaijan to Zambia.
Inspired by Sport runs from 2-13 May 2012 and entry is FREE.
About International Inspiration
The International Inspiration programme is governed by an independent charitable foundation. International Inspiration is supported and funded by a mixture of organisations and Foundations, including Department for International Development (DFID), the British Council, the Premier League, UNICEF, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Comic Relief, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, the GE Foundation and individual donors. The programme is also supported by the Youth Sport Trust, the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association and individual donors.
To enable longer-term impact, the programme is developed jointly with the governments, National Olympic Committees and National Paralympic Committees, where appropriate, of participating countries. The programme is supported and welcomed by the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee.
The vision of International Inspiration is to use the power of sport to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities in schools and communities across the world, particularly developing countries, by offering them the opportunity to access and participate in high-quality and inclusive sport, physical education and play. The programme is already changing the lives of young people in twenty countries - Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jordan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Zambia - and has already enriched the lives of over 12 million children and young people.
International Inspiration was developed as a result of the commitment made by the London Bid team in Singapore in 2005 to ‘reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport’.
The school partnerships are managed by the British Council, which has long experience of linking schools internationally, working in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, which utilises its expertise in developing teachers and young leaders through sport.
London 2012 Games partners:
The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.
LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield.
There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games-only Partner, Sainsbury’s and two domestic Tier Three Paralympic Games-only Suppliers, Otto Bock and Panasonic. The London 2012 Paralympic Games also acknowledges the support of the National Lottery.
Museum of London:
The Museum of London tells the story of one of the world’s greatest cities and its people. It cares for more than two million objects in its collections and attracts over 400,000 visitors per year. It holds the largest archaeological archive in Europe. The Museum has entered a new era with the launch of our £20million Galleries of Modern London in May 2010.
The London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre (LAARC) and the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology form part of the Museum of London’s Department of Archives and Archaeological Collections. www.museumoflondon.org.uk
