Junior Olympic Games inspires future athletes

Jun 20 2012 by Alison Lowson, Stirling Observer Wednesday

Junior Olympic Games inspires future Olympians

OLYMPIC fever swept through Stirling’s schools last Wednesday as hundreds of secondary pupils from Stirling HS, Wallace HS, Bannockburn HS, Dunblane HS, Balfron HS and St Modan’s took part in an unique new event.

Organised as part of the Bank of Scotland School Sport initiative, the first ever Active Stirling Junior Games saw 800 S1 pupils try out 18 different sports – including basketball, boccia, golf, climbing, cricket, softball, curling, football, health and fitness, hockey, jogging, tai chi, multi sport, netball, rugby and swimming. – at Forthbank performance sport centre at Stirling Sports Village.

The official opening ceremony began with the Young Ambassadors, Mass Dance cast, a piper and a procession around Forthbank.

Andrew Bain, Chief Executive of Active Stirling said: “We hope the Junior Games will inspire pupils to continue to participate in physical activity and sport and to encourage many to go on to become athletes of the future.”

Over 1,950 schools and half a million school children from every local authority area in Scotland took part in the BoS school sport initiative.

This is more than 75% of all schools in Scotland – and that amounts to over a third more schools participating than in 2011 and nearly three times as many schools as in 2010, when the programme was first launched. Since it began, nearly a million school children have participated.

The Bank of Scotland is a Proud Partner for Scotland of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.