Welsh Sports Stars Inspire Carmarthenshire youngsters

Welsh sporting figures who have won medals at the top level of sport have been inspiring the next generation at a special event to mark the build up to London 2012.

Olympic swimming medallist David Davies, Commonwealth swimming medallist Georgia Davies, boxing star Kevin Evans, Welsh netballer Stephanie Williams and multi-sport icon Non Evans spent the day with over 100 Carmarthenshire school pupils who have been selected for a unique role to promote sport.

 

Pupils from schools across the county have been chosen as official London 2012 Young Ambassadors. Platinum and Gold ambassadors will represent the county, adistars silver ambassadors will represent secondary schools and bronze ambassadors will represent primary schools.

Carmarthenshire is the first local authority area in Wales to incorporate all levels of Young Ambassadors on a countywide scale.

Beijing silver medallist David Davies was keen to stress the importance of school to his sporting development:

"My school and teachers were great with me because they gave me support and encouragement, particularly as I had so many early morning training sessions and competitions to take part in.

"It is great to have the opportunity to speak to the pupils about the impact that sport has made on my life."

 

The UK-wide Young Ambassador programme was born in the summer of 2006 as a direct response to realising Lord Coe's Singapore Promise.

It means hundreds of young people across Wales being recruited as figureheads to help increase participation in sport inside and outside school, as well as promoting healthy and active lifestyles. Promoting the Olympic and Paralympic values, as well as the event itself, is another role that it is hoped could make the biggest impact peer-to-peer. 

While the initiative is managed by the Youth Sport Trust with adidas and LOCOG, in Wales it is delivered in partnership between Sport Wales, local authorities and schools.

Active Young People Co-ordinator for Carmarthenshire, Carl Daniels commented:           

"Young Ambassadors is a great way of empowering young people to help shape the future of sport provision and to have an impact on participation levels. We have really pushed the scheme in the county with the belief that it can help us get more young people more active more often.

"With so many new faces being brought on board we want to inspire them to do the best job they can so that they can make the biggest difference."

As well as the established sports stars, young athlete Carys Mansfield (javelin), a silver medallist at the recent Commonwealth Youth Games, was on hand to talk about sport.

Professor Laura McAllister - Chair of Sport Wales and political analyst for BBC Wales - also spoke to the pupils about the role of young people in Welsh sport.

Professor McAllister said:

"We are in a very exciting and unique time. As we build up to London 2012, sport in this country will receive more profile and publicity than ever. We've also got the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 so the coverage doesn't stop after next year.

"As Young Ambassadors, these young pupils have the opportunity to promote, develop and sell the benefits of sport in their school and community and have been picked out as having the potential to make a positive difference.

 

"Seeing so many sport lovers certainly inspires me in my role and I hope that myself and the team in Carmarthenshire can do the same for them.

"Sport has a big role to play in Wales and we need young people to help take us to the next level."