Biggest Ever Games To Make Olympic Park Debut
27th December 2013Thousands of young Londoners will have the opportunity to compete at the Olympic Park for the first time ever in 2014 after the London Youth Games Foundation confirmed three events in its calendar will takes place at the Copper Box Arena.
Building on this year’s record-breaking year, the 2014 Balfour Beatty London Youth Games, part of the School Games will be the biggest in the event’s 37 year history. It will feature 81 competitions across 30 sports through 41 event days.
It will also feature the biggest Para-Games competition programme in its history with competition opportunities for disabled young Londoners in athletics, swimming, indoor rowing, wheelchair basketball, football, boccia, tennis and - for the first time ever – kayaking.
As a key driver of youth participation in London with a record 114k participants and 3k volunteers in 2013, the London Youth Games will make its debut at an Olympic venue next year.
Badminton schools qualifiers will take place on 25 February, sportshall athletics qualifiers on Tues 4 March and Handball finals on 22 June will all take place at the Copper Box Arena which hosted Olympic handball, modern pentathlon fencing and Paralympic goalball at London 2012.
Russell Findlay, Chief Executive, London Youth Games Foundation said: “We are proud to be hosting the biggest ever London Youth Games in 2014. We have an unrivalled range of sports for young Londoners to get involved in as competitors, volunteers or even as part of our cultural programme.
“By taking the London Youth Games to the Olympic Park for the first time ever we are building on our ability to deliver inspiring competitions.
“The London Youth Games inspires tens of thousands of young people to participate in sport and provides the type of competitive environment that motivates them to train all year-round and fulfil their potential.”
The Balfour Beatty London Youth Games is Europe's largest annual youth sports event and is part of the nationwide School Games programme.