London 2012 Velodrome
With London 2012 nearly here, you’re going to see a lot of the Olympic Park and its amazing venues in the weeks ahead. So each day in the run-up to the Opening Ceremony, we’re finding out how each venue will be used after the Games. Today, it’s the Velodrome.
The super-stylish Velodrome was a whisker away from winning the prestigious Stirling Prize for architecture this year.
After the Games, it will combine with a reconfigured BMX Track and new facilities for road cycling and mountain bike. This will form the new Lee Valley VeloPark, which will be available for the public and elite cyclists to use, transforming cycling facilities in the capital.
Find out more about the Velodrome on the London 2012 website.
Net benefits for Durham cricket club
Following England’s victory over Australia in yesterday’s first One Day International, a sports club in Durham is hoping to attract the top cricketers of the future, thanks to an Olympic legacy fund.
Norton Cricket Club will use a £45,000 award to refurbish its indoor cricket school, which it hopes will attract new talent, encourage more people to use the facilities and therefore play a part in keeping the Ashes where they belong – right here in England!
Hundreds of local community sports clubs are being upgraded as part of Sport England’s legacy programmes.
Police biking programme wins award
An Olympic legacy project in Nottinghamshire has been honoured as the best in the East Midlands, as part of a programme that’s inspiring thousands of young people to get into sport.
Backed by local police - who worked with local teenagers and even lent them police bikes as part of the scheme – the Ridewise project offers cycling training to young people from deprived areas. It has particularly supported black and minority ethnic communities under-represented in the sport, as well helping build their cycling skills and confidence.
Ex-European and British skateboarding champion Neil Danns who handed over the award said: “It’s wonderful to see that so many young people have been able to give cycling a go as part of this project. This sort of programme shows that cycling is a sport which anyone can enjoy and take part in.”
Nearly 7,500 young people in the East Midlands have benefited from Sportivate projects, as Olympic excitement takes hold in the region.
Photo credit: Sportivate
