CORNWALL BIDS FOR WORLD LIFESAVING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010
Surf Life Saving Great Britain (SLSGB) has submitted a British bid to host the World Lifesaving Championships in Newquay, Cornwall in three years time. The event is known as Rescue 2010 will attract more than 4,000 competitors and 40 national teams from life saving clubs throughout the world - equivalent numbers to the Commonwealth Games.
If the bid is successful, the Championships will be the largest international participation sporting event in Great Britain before the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and is seen as a significant contribution to the build up and sporting legacy of the London 2012 Games and the Nations and Regions programme. It has received the endorsement of the Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the regional and local authorities in the South West, and national and regional sporting and lifesaving organisations.
“The Championships are a spectacular example of sport with a purpose,” said JonathanBall, the President of Surf Life Saving Great Britain and Chairman of the Rescue 2010 bid. “We are talking of a selflessness and concern for humanity that goes beyond the essential skills and fitness of an athlete. We want to encourage people of all ages to participate in aquatic sport and, for those with the courage, to join the volunteer lifesaving force around the shores of Britain and other nations.”
Mr Ball, who is also the co founder of the Eden Project, a Cornishman, member of the Council of the RNLI and a past lifeboat man, said “We believe that Britain is the ideal location for the 2010 Championships. It could not be a better time or place. Aquatic sport is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and to have the Championships here will contribute significantly to the build up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and the desired legacy of encouraging sport, fitness and health. They will deliver new and better opportunities to inspire young people and raise public awareness of a sporting challenge that puts fitness, public service and selfless determination at the heart of communities.”
MORE INFORMATION
For further information, visit the web site www.rescue2010.co.uk or contact Penelope Hasell, Project Administrator, Rescue 2010 GB Bid Office, 5 Belle View, Bude, Cornwall EX23 8JJ; tel 01288 353 898; fax 01288 359 961; email info@rescue2010.co.uk
SLSGB is an association of 7,000 members and supporters in more than 60 clubs that provide the rescue force of trained volunteers that safeguard the beaches of Britain’s 7,500 mile coast line. SLSGB works in partnership with the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) who are now the largest provider of paid lifeguard services around our coasts.
One person every minute dies from drowning somewhere in the world – 400,000 per year according to the ILS. Everyday, trained volunteer lifesavers and paid lifeguardsput their own lives at risk to rescue those who get into difficulties at the beaches and inner shore line. The World Championships test the fitness, stamina, skills and the courage of individuals and teams at national and club levels. Candidates must be members of a surf life saving club and selection for participation is made by the national federations working with their member clubs.
The events include swimming and rescue competitions at the beach and in the pool, between nations, clubs and the Masters World Championships as well as open events for surf boat and inflatable rescue boat racing.
The first of the Rescue Championships organised by the ILS was held 13 years ago in 1994, hosted by Great Britain in Newquay and Cardiff and they are now held every two years. In that time, the event has grown in size from about 1000 athletes to about 4,000 athletes. This will be only the second time that Britain has bid for the championships The ILS has not yet disclosed which nations are competing to host the 2010 games.
UK young lifesavers have won medals at all previous championships since 1994. Katy Whear, who was born in Cornwall and is a member of the Portreath Surf Life Saving Club, won a Gold in 2004, Silver in 2006 and made a big impact in Australia at Rescue 2006 as one of the public faces of the Championships. She has spent the winter coaching, training and competing in Australia.
The bid process is similar to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The deadline for the detailed submission to the ILS was the end of April, this year. The judging committee will visit the candidate nations and sites in June and July with final presentations in Oporto, Portugal on 30th September and the award ceremony on 1st October 2007. Britain’s preferred dates for the Championships are 21st June to 4th July 2010 which will include hosting an International Life Saving Conference in association with the RNLI to encourage the development of life saving skills and knowledge, particularly amongst developing nations.
One of the unique aspects of the bid, and the difference to any other previous hosting nation, is that both the pool and the beach events will be held in the same location within 500 meters of each other, with the conference and administrative centre at the neighbouring Headland Hotel. It means a saving in time and money. The athletes do not have to travel between events and the two week programme can be more efficiently coordinated. The opening and closing events will be held at the Eden Project, the celebrated venue for world class events including the Live 8 event “Africa Calling”.
The cost of hosting the championships is estimated at less than £6 million pounds and will be funded from public and private sponsorship. The initial bid costs of £65,000 has been funded by contributions from South West RDA (South West Regional Development Authority), Cornwall County Council, Restormel Borough Council and Newquay Town Council.
The economic benefit to Australia at Rescue 2006 was estimated at over £18 million with an approximately 40% attributable to the local area of the games. International coverage was given by at least twelve nations and the Rescue 2006 web site received over 7 million hits worldwide.
Over 30,000 visitors are expected to attend the event and the legacy will raise the profile of surf lifesaving in Britain and the importance of beach safety, encourage a sporting culture nationally and in the region and promote the natural assets of Cornwall.
The Rescue 2010 bid team comprises Surf Life Saving Great Britain (Jonathan Ball, President, David Grose, Chairman, John Martin, Vice Chairman, Danny Bryant, Life Saving Development Manager and Penny Whear, Council member for Cornwall); Davis Langdon (Tim Carter) and representatives from the RNLI (John Broad); South West England Directorate of the 2012 Games (South West RDA and Sport England South West) (Guy Lavender); Cornwall County Council (John Larke); Team South West, Cornwall Sports Partnership (Jonathan Harris); Member of Parliament (Julia Goldsworthy); Chief Executive of South West Tourism (Malcolm Bell); Director of Marketing, the Eden Project (Dave Meneer); Chocolate Dog Marketing (Sue Handford); CM Communications Management (Terry Woodger).
Already supporting the bid with more than £150,000 worth of money and resources are: Davis Langdon, Chocolate Dog Marketing Services, RH Advertising, AME Solutions; MI Associates, First Great Western, Metherell Gard, CM Communications Management, the Eden Project, Rick Stein’s Seafood School, Isles of Scilly Skybus Company, Roy Riley, The Island Hotel Tresco and Life’s a Beach Restaurant Bude.