Press Release: Olympic theme for Godiva Festival

 Hundreds of festival-goers got a taste of the forthcoming 2012 Games during the Godiva Festival celebrations.The Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games hosted an Olympic Sport Zone at the festival on Sunday (July 4) where visitors were invited to engage with the spirit of the Games and London 2012 by trying a selection of Olympic sports.The Olympic Sport Zone allowed people to challenge themselves and test their skills in a whole host of sports including fencing, cycling, rowing, judo, gymnastics, rugby and taekwondo.Local clubs, sports organisations and National Governing Bodies were present to give participants expert advice and information about how to participate on the day and continue involvement in these sports.Those in attendance included Rollapaluza Roller Racing, Salle Ursa Fencing Club, Synergy Gymnastics, Coventry Judo Club, Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club, the Rugby Football Union and Coventry TKD.Tom Clift, partnership manager for the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games, said: “We were delighted to again be part of the Godiva Festival and build on the success of last year when we hosted our Olympic Sport Zone for the very first time.“The aim of the Olympic Sport Zone is to provide people with an opportunity to come and try sports they may never have previously experienced in an environment like this, which will hopefully encourage them to take up new activities and continue to be involved in sport in the future.“We purposely link in with local clubs to ensure that there is an accessible pathway for people who wish to participate further, but also to showcase the great things that are being achieved by clubs in the region.”
The Olympic Sport Zone followed on from the Olympic-themed carnival procession on Saturday (July 3) which addressed the issue of sustainability, one of the key themes of London 2012.A combination of dance, music and Olympic costumes shaped an artistic display of the journey to London 2012 along with flag carriers of the 200 nations who will compete in 2012 which reflected the multi cultural nature of the Games.The procession also featured young talented athletes from the region who are hopeful of success in 2012. Joining them were Olympic and Paralympic legends from across the sub-region, who have been recorded in a Hall of Fame to recognise the achievements which includes information on over 100 Coventry and Warwickshire Olympians and Paralympians dating back to 1900.To view the Hall of Fame and for more information on London 2012-related activity taking place in the region during the build-up to 2012, or to discover how to become involved, visit www.cswp.org.uk/london2012.END

Notes to editors:The Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games (CW2012) is a unique combination of public, private and voluntary organisations, working together to maximise opportunities for the sub-region arising from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.For more information visit www.cswp.org.uk/london2012* Coventry has been named as a Host City for London 2012 and will host Olympic football matches in 2012 as part of the UK-wide Olympic football competition at the City of Coventry Stadium in Phoenix Way.* Coventry has been awarded a London 2012 Live Site which will join the national network of 18 large Live Site screens around the UK in showing news, events and live screenings of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games from its location outside Coventry Transport Museum. * CW2012 has uncovered over 100 Coventry and Warwickshire Olympians and Paralympians dating back to 1900 to create a Hall of Fame and the first ever archive of its kind. The project has received special recognition from London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) – having been awarded the London 2012 Inspire Mark.* Coventry and Warwickshire has 10 venues in the official London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp (PGTC) Guide and has hosted visits from several national Olympic committees in an ongoing attempt to attract teams to use the region as a training base.* Coventry and Warwickshire has over 2,000 registrations from companies interested in applying for 2012 Games-related contracts via the CompeteFor system, and businesses in the sub-region have won more contracts than any other area of the West Midlands.* Coventry will represent the whole of the West Midlands as part of London 2012’s Cultural Olympiad after a project called Godiva Awakes was named as the region’s representative in the Artists Taking the Lead project, funded by Arts Council England. Imagineer Productions will create a ten metre high Lady Godiva powered by 50 cyclists which will travel to London to take part in the opening ceremony.* The Festival of Sport is the second project from the Partnership to receive the Inspire Mark and is designed to provide schoolchildren with an Olympic and Paralympic experience in a festival environment and encompass the values of the Olympics.Media enquiries:Simon GilbertAdvent Communications2 Edison BuildingElectric WharfSandy LaneCoventry CV1 4JATel: 024 7663 3636http://www.advent-communications.co.uk