Around four hundred pupils from four Bristol schools will compete for the honour of becoming Bristol Panathlon Champions 2006 at the finals of the popular Panathlon Challenge, which takes place next week [Wednesday, 29 March] at the University of Bristol.
The winning school will go forward to represent the South West in the national Panathlon final in London in July. An additional Panathlon event for local schools not competing for the London finals will be announced later in the year.
The schools competing for the honour are Brislington School, St. Bede’s RC School, the City Academy and Whitefield School. The Panathlon Challenge comprises nine different sports, including badminton, basketball, chess, cycling, football, netball, orienteering, indoor athletics and table tennis.
Fifteen of the University’s Community Sports Volunteer leaders, consisting of staff and students, will be on hand throughout the day to assist the lead organisers with the sports. The event is being held at the University’s Coombe Dingle Sports Complex and its Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health from 10 am to 4 pm.
The Panathlon Challenge is funded by the Department for Education and Skills and Sport England. Bristol City Council and the University of Bristol have contributed generously to this event with additional sponsorship provided by Bristol International Airport. This sponsorship has not only allowed the organisers of the Bristol Panathlon Challenge to hold this year’s schools sporting competition but also to qualify for ‘Sportsmatch’ funding effectively doubling the airport’s contribution.
Bob Reeves, Director of Sport, University of Bristol explained: “Having seen that Bristol International Airport has a stated objective to support the community it serves, I contacted Andrew Skipp, and he immediately agreed to see me to discuss the Panathlon programme. His interest, and that of his colleagues, has led to them becoming the lead sponsor of this terrific initiative which will involve over 1,000 youngsters from the Bristol area.”
Andrew Skipp, Managing Director of Bristol International said: “We are constantly looking for ways in which we can actively support local education and sporting projects and are delighted to have the opportunity to become lead sponsors of an initiative which clearly embraces both of these important criteria.”
Alex Scott-Bayfield, Scheme Manager for Sportsmatch said: "This is a great scheme which will have a huge impact on both able-bodied and disabled children in the Bristol area. The scheme provides the children with an opportunity to have a go at a number of sports that they may not previously have tried. It is great to see such an inclusive project, which may help to unearth some of the sporting talent of the future.
Panathlon has been running in Bristol and four other UK cities for several years, and continues to grow in popularity with both teachers and students.
Vince Curnock, Head of P.E. at St. Bede’s, winners of the competition in each of the last 3 years, said: “We are great fans of Panathlon, because it provides competitive sporting opportunities for a large number of our pupils across a wide range of sports. It is all about involvement, participation, teamwork, and learning to compete and test individual and team sporting skills against others in a framework of fair play and good sportsmanship.”