Olympic and paralympic Games: THE IMPACT OF ... - Universities UK

days, open weekends, festivals, masterclasses,taster sessions, schools programmes, themednights and lectures, giving everybody thechance to experience a training centresuitable for potential Olympic champions.The Year of Sport is part of Celebrate Surrey,the University of Surrey’s year-long eventsinitiative allied to London 2012.The University of Surrey’s Surrey Sports Parkbespoke Olympic scholarship. They have alsoassisted Leeds University Union to be theonly students’ union in the country with GoldAccreditation for the NUS Be a Championproject.The University of Surrey’s Surrey Sports Park isan official pre-Games training venue and is setto host a number of teams and athletes fromnations including China, Antigua and Barbuda,Croatia, Nigeria, Singapore and the USA. Atthe same time these facilities are home to avariety of local sports clubs and used by over100 schools and youth organisations. SurreySports Park has also announced a year-longcampaign to celebrate a ‘Year of Sport’ toinspire even more people in Surrey to getactive and involved in sport. The campaign willfeature a range of events and opportunities inthe run-up to London 2012, including sportsThrough a 10-year partnership withSouthampton City Council, SouthamptonSolent University has taken over school sportsprovision formerly provided through thegovernment’s Schools Sports Partnership,after its funding was withdrawn. It is theonly university in the UK to have undertakenthis provision, making it responsible forencouraging and increasing competitive sportsin schools across the city. The university is thelargest higher education provider of coachingeducation in England.Phil Green, Director of Sport Solent,said: “Through leading the city’s SportsDevelopment Unit, as well as the recentacquisition of the Schools Partnership, weare a significant force in shaping local sportat all levels. This also supports the university’semphasis on employability, providingwork-based learning opportunities forundergraduates.”engaging with sportWhile many appreciate that diet, training,technique, equipment and other facets ofsport science may be important for athleticsuccess, the latest scientific research that isassisting elite athletes prepare for London2012 is something that few of us will ever haveaccess to.A unique project devised and delivered bymembers of staff from the Research Institutefor Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES)at Liverpool John Moores University isaddressing this through its Face to Face withSports Science project, which gives the publicand local schoolchildren first-hand experienceof the scientific preparation elite athletesundertake. RISES received a People Awardfrom the Wellcome Trust and a Royal SocietyPartnership Grant to hold a series of events innorth west museums and schools leading upto and during the Games.42 SECTION eight : universities and the community