Sports Minister and Olympic Champion inspired in Portadown

Four-time Olympic Gold Medallist Sir Matthew Pinsent joined Sports Minister Nelson McCausland this evening at the University of Ulster’s 'Sport Comes 2 Town' festival in Portadown.

As part of the festival, which runs until Saturday 26 June, the Ulster Sports Academy is encouraging families in the Craigavon borough to get active and join in a range of sporting activities.

Sport Comes 2 Town is the twentieth project in Northern Ireland to be awarded the prestigious Inspire mark by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

The Inspire programme is a UK-wide initiative which recognises innovative and exceptional projects which are inspired or energised by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Minister explained: “This is the first time in Olympic and Paralympic history that non-commercial projects and events can be officially recognised as being part of the Games. Through the Inspire Programme in Northern Ireland, we are using the Games as a catalyst to inspire change – at individual, community, regional and national level – which will ultimately leave a positive legacy."

Ever since London won the bid to host the 2012 Games, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has been working to ensure that the Games will leave a lasting legacy for the people of Northern Ireland. The Minister continued: "My Department has been focusing on a number of key themes: Sport, Culture, Education, Employment and Skills, Volunteering, Tourism and Business, and has been working with our stakeholders to maximise the potential benefits in each of these areas."

The Minister commended the University of Ulster for developing the concept for Sport Comes 2 Town which endeavours to deliver on each of these themes. "This is a festival of sport, culture, art, education and business, which is embedded in the local community, but takes its inspiration from the 2012 Games – the biggest sporting event in the world. Congratulations to the University of Ulster and to all the organisations – both public, private and third sector – who have worked in partnership with them to deliver this festival and to support local sport”, he said.

Notes to editors:

1. Sport Comes 2 Town is running from 23–26 June 2010 in Portadown. A full programme of events can be found on the University of Ulster website .
2. The Inspire programme is run by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and there are Programmers based in most nations and regions of the UK, including Northern Ireland. It is a broad participation programme spanning sport, culture, education, sustainability, volunteering, and business opportunities and skills. New opportunities are being created to inspire young people and encourage the whole of the UK to join in. For more information please go to the programme's website or contact the Inspire Programmer for Northern Ireland, Julie Jamison, at julie.jamison@dcalni.gov.uk
3. Media enquiries to Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure Press Office on 028 9051 5046 or email press.office@dcalni.gov.uk