Press Release - 07.09.2006

Sir Steve, winner of five gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games, will attend the Opening Ceremony after spending the day examining facilities at Scotstoun Stadium. He said:

"I have been extremely impressed with the organisation of UK School Games. It would have been magnificent for me to have had a competition like this when I was a young, aspiring athlete and, I'm sure, the one thousand children who are here in Glasgow to compete will have a rewarding experience which can only help them in their development."

Sir Steve is an ambassador for Visa, who is the presenting sponsor to UK School Games.

Sir Steve will speak to the children as part of tonight's Opening Ceremony and will share with them some of his experiences at major competitions.

Scottish Minister for Sport Patricia Ferguson, Chair of the Millennium Commission and Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn and Councillor Steven Purcell, Leader of Glasgow City Council will also make speeches.

Children from five sports - athletics, swimming, gymnastics, table-tennis and fencing - arrived in Glasgow today to compete in this new and exiting sports event for youngsters.

Table-Tennis will begin on Friday at Scotstoun Stadium. Athletics and Fencing will also take place at Scotstoun - on Saturday and Sunday.

Swimming at Tollcross pool will be staged on Saturday, with gymnastics being held at the Kelvin Hall on Saturday.

Events for athletes with a disability will also take place as part of the athletics and swimming programmes.

Major championship-style Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be held, with the opening ceremony at the SECC tonight (Thursday) and the closing ceremony at The Science Museum on Sunday evening. All young athletes will be accommodated in an 'athlete's village'.

The Youth Sport Trust - the organisation who work to support the education and development of all young people through sport - has been given the task of organising both the inaugural UK School Games, and the following five events until 2011.

The UK School Games is funded by the Millennium Commission, which is providing a National Lottery grant of £1.5m, and is also being supported by Visa, Glasgow City Council, EventScotland and sportscotland.

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Notes to editors:

1. The Millennium Commission is a distributor of funds raised by the National Lottery and it has distributed over £2 billion to hundreds of project and thousands of people around the UK. Its funding programmes have included a major national programme of capital projects, including the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow, Odyssey in Belfast and new sports facilities with soccer and ten five-a-side pitches at Mile End Park in East London. The Millennium Commission's income from the National Lottery ceased in August 2001. For further information please contact: Shabana Pathan, Communications Officer, Millennium Commission, 1 Plough Place, London, EC4A 1DE. Tel: 020 7880 2071 Mobile: 07771 565 606 Fax: 020 7880 2000; www.millennium.gov.uk

2. The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity established in 1994 to build a brighter future for young people through sport. Its mission is to support the education and development of all young people through sport. Please visitwww.youthsporttrust.org for more information.

3. Fast Track is delivering event management and media services for UK School Games with the Youth Sport Trust.

4. Visa's corporate commitment to the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Movement, the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees and national teams and individuals, has been an important factor in ensuring the continuance and success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Visa is signed up as a worldwide partner to both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games until 2012 and as such is firmly committed to the success of London 2012.

5. EventScotland is the national organisation for sports and cultural events and co-ordinates the delivery of the Major Events Strategy published by the Scottish Executive in November 2002. The strategy is designed to maximise the benefits of existing events, to attract new events, to showcase Scotland's assets and to encourage more people to visit Scotland to experience at first hand major sporting and cultural events being staged in the country. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and the latest event news please visit www.EventScotland.org

6. sportscotland are the national body for sport in Scotland and are dedicated to increasing participation and improving performances in Scottish sport. Its plays a leading role in driving forward Sport 21 the national strategy for sport in Scotland through partnerships with the public, private and voluntary sectors. sportscotland also distributes the Lottery Sports Fund in Scotland.

7. The BBC has been confirmed as the official broadcast partner for UK School Games in 2006.