The Power of Sport: Celebrating culture through sport
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UK Sport International 13 August 2012
The celebrations for #OurGreatestTeam go beyond Team GB’s performances on the track, court, field and in the water, as the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad uses the international event as a platform to promote cultural exchanges, from the host nation to international visitors. The world joined International Inspiration in achieving the London 2012 vision of reaching 12 million children through sport, and now congratulations goes to the London 2012 Festival for reaching their 12 million visitors mark!
The use of sport as a platform to showcase cultural events at the Olympic Games dates back to 1908 and continued until the Games were last in London, in 1948, when medal winning disciplines included art, comedy, music and drama.
Colin Jackson, former British Olympian and International Inspiration ambassador says: “London 2012 isn’t just about the competition, it’s about the ethos and the Olympic Values.”
So in the spirit of friendship, excellence and respect, the Great British Garden at the Olympic Park currently hosts local games from International Inspiration countries.
The games are being led by school children from the UK, including Calderglen High School in East Kilbride, Scotland, who are part of the London 2012 international sports legacy programme.
Seb Coe, Chairman of LOCOG, said: "The students running the activities in the Great British Garden in the Olympic Park will not only gain new leaderships skills but will also provide spectators with a fantastic addition to their London 2012 Games experience."
Sport continues to give young sports leaders the opportunity to exchange cultures through the UK Sport IDEALS programme too. Paul Carey, an IDEALS student who returned from Ghana this summer reflects on how cultural exchanges through sport can impact the performance of a coach: “We learned some games off the leaders that could be utilised and felt they could be very beneficial in our teaching. Likewise, we taught some games that were new to our Ghanaian counterparts and they seemed interested in learning new activities.”
For more information about IDEALS visit: http://www.uksport.gov.uk/pages/ideals/
