Young Brits to benefit from London 2017 with Starting Blocks

As part of the build-up the World Para Athletics Championships and IAAF World Championships London 2017, teachers across the UK can get their students involved in the summer’s biggest sporting event with the launch of a free education programme, Starting Blocks.

Designed to inspire, motivate and engage young people, Starting Blocks is the official education programme for both world championships. The digital hub will provide free, curriculum-linked resources for teachers of pupils aged five to 14. All resources are specially designed to open young people’s eyes to new opportunities and experiences through classroom activities and whole-school ideas.

Three themes will connect students to the summer’s biggest sporting event:

•A Summer of World Athletics introduces young people to the events and excitement of the summer and to the sport of Athletics in PE and Sport.

•The World in One City celebrates the 200 nations who will come together to compete and their unique cultures using Maths and numeracy.

•Faces of the Summer uses English and literacy to showcase the people who will make the summer great including athletes, their support teams, volunteers, sponsors and organisers.

Championship organisers have already begun engaging with young people by offering all schools in Greater London access to a special package for the World Para Athletics Championships at a discounted rate of £3 per ticket. With applications from over 500 schools to date, there is still time to apply before the 10th February deadline at www.london2017athletics.com/schools

In addition to offering discounted tickets and free resources, London 2017 Ltd have partnered with iconic BBC children’s television show Blue Peter for a nationwide competition. Young people aged six to 15 years-old are invited to design two championship mascots and the results will be judged by Olympic champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and double Paralympic gold medallist Richard Whitehead MBE.

Starting Blocks has been developed in partnership with leading educational consultancy EdComs, who are responsible for Get Set, the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association’s youth engagement programme.

Tested by education industry experts in Newham, the Championships’ host borough, Starting Blocks received glowing feedback for the quality and effectiveness of its resources ahead of the launch today.

Niels de Vos, Championship Director for the World Para Athletics Championships and IAAF World Championships London 2017, said:

“Following the successful launch of our official schools ticket offer and mascot design competition, Starting Blocks once again demonstrates our commitment to inspire, motivate and engage young people not just in London but around the UK.

“We are proud to be hosting the biggest sporting event in the world in 2017. The Championships will be an inspirational summer of world-class sport with a chance for everyone to take part.

“We want the magic of London 2017 to act as an inspiration for young people and I believe both pupils and teachers will benefit from the exciting and topical resources offered by Starting Blocks.”

Held in the same city and the same year for the first time ever, the World Para Athletics Championships and IAAF World Championships London 2017 are together the biggest sporting event of the year.

To find out more, visit The Summer of World Athletics website.