The 42nd International Children’s Games kicks off in San Fransisco, USA, this Thursday 10th July and among the 100 participating cities is a team from Lanarkshire. Since its conception in 1968 by Slovenian professor Metod Klenenc, the Games have aimed to promote peace and friendship through sports and to date more than 27,000 children have participated. Today the International Children’s Games are the largest multi-sport Youth Games in the World with approximately 1500 competitors from 50 countries and six continents expected to compete in San Fransisco.
Run along the same lines as the Olympic and Commonwealth Games with athletes attending opening and closing ceremonies, staying in athlete housing and the inclusion of a ‘Festival Village’, the multi-sport Games give young athletes aged 12 to 15 the chance to experience competing at such an event, excellent preparation if they make it onto a National team in the future. Alongside the track and field events, athletes will also compete in basketball, golf, football, swimming, table tennis, tennis and volleyball.
Lanarkshire have competed in several previous Games, sending teams to Reykjavik (Iceland), Coventry (UK) and Cleveland (USA) and will be joined in San Fransisco by 2005 Games hosts Coventry, the only other UK team making the long trip across the Atlantic. Lanarkshire travel to these Games thinking not only of the competition they face on the sports field. On Friday (11th July), the day of the Opening Ceremony, the delegation will learn if their bid to host the 2011 Games has been successful, bringing the ‘Mini Olympics’ to Scotland.
South Lanarkshire Council Leader Eddie McAvoy is quietly confident that Lanarkshire has what it takes to host the Games:
“We submitted a strong bid and there is no doubt Lanarkshire certainly has the sporting and cultural resources, as well as the necessary infrastructure to stage a successful Children’s Games. But more than that, there is a real enthusiasm building for the Games among the wider community and the almost 2000 athletes, coaches and officials taking part would be ensured of an extremely warm and gracious welcome.”
Should the bid be successful, it will complete a sporting treble for Scotland with the Commonwealth Games coming to Glasgow in 2014 and the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, also in 2014.
We wish the Lanarkshire team good luck with both their bid and with their endeavours on the track in San Fransisco. The athletics competition takes place at the Kezar Stadium on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th July.
For more information visit www.sficg2008.com
For a trailer for the 2008 Games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDFlwJ_f3B8
