Britain Warms-Up For 2012 With Lifesaving Champs

Saving lives is not an Olympic sport but one of the biggest sporting events in the world with lifesaving as its aim - bigger than the Commonwealth Games in fact and one that will help Britain to prepare for the London 2012 Games - has been awarded to Cornwall.

Never been to Cornwall? Put it on your list. It's fabulous, with a wild and windswept shoreline that offers some of the best beaches in Britain (the world, some would say but not if lounging in the sun is your thing) and will make a fantastic venue for the Rescue 2010 Lifesaving World Championships.

The event was awarded to the Fistral surfing beach in Newquay, Cornwall at a vote today in Oporto, the northern Portuguese city that lends its name to Port wine, among delegates of the International Life Saving Federation (ILS), the central body of national associations of lifesaving clubs and the governing body for the Rescue series.

The opening ceremony of the championships, over two weeks in June and July 2010, will take place at the Eden Project in St Austell, Cornwall, a place no-one should drive past when in that part of the world. Indeed, make a point of travelling that way to see the Eden Project. It's terrific.

Speaking at Fistral Beach, Jonathan Ball, President of Surf Life Saving Great Britain and Chairman of the British bid team, said: 'This is a wonderful opportunity for Britain and the result of a lot of hard work by a top class project team. We can now open serious discussions with major corporations and funding organisations to establish the budget and put in place the infrastructure for the Championships and the wider promotion of water sport and lifesaving skills amongst the community.

'It is a unique opportunity for organisations to contribute positively to an ethical mission that will help to inspire young people and raise public awareness of a sporting challenge that recognises bravery, encourages selflessness, personal fitness and well being and service to the community. Aquatic sport is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and the highly challenging and visual Rescue 2010 Championships will offer international, national and local exposure to companies involved in sponsoring or supporting them.'

Britain's bid for Rescue 2010 was submitted by Surf Life Saving Great Britain (SLSGB) in partnership with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The two organisations have signed a strategic partnership to develop volunteer beach lifeguards around the coasts of Britain and the World Championships will focus public attention on the campaign and the needs and values of lifesaving skills.

Andrew Freemantle, Chief Executive of the RNLI said: 'The award of Rescue 2010 to Britain will encourage the development of Britain's swimmers and promote water sports amongst the wider population, and young people in particular, as part of a healthy lifestyle. Volunteer lifeguards are essential to our plans to double the size of our lifeguard operations in the next five years. These championships will give a huge impetus to our strategic partnership with SLSGB to develop volunteer lifeguards on our beaches.'

The Lifesaving World Championships are held every two years to test the skills, stamina and courage of qualified lifesavers from local clubs throughout the world.

Lord Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee for London 2012, said: 'When we won the bid to bring the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to London, we hoped our success would lead to more top sporting events coming to the UK. This is a very good example - many congratulations to all involved.'

Expected in Cornwall are 6,000 competitors and officials from the life saving national teams and clubs of 55 nations, a greater participation event than the Commonwealth Games.

Britain's gold and silver world lifesaving medallist, Katy Whear, who is a Portreath Surf Lifesaving Club member and RNLI lifeguard, was delighted with the news: 'Holding Rescue 2010 in Cornwall could alter the perception of the country. I have met people in Australia who think we only have pebble beaches. Many of them don't think of Cornwall as a destination for the World Championships, and yet we can get awesome surf and we have some really good beaches. This will be a chance to show the world how great Cornwall is.'

The cost of hosting the Championships is estimated at around £6 million and will be funded from public and private sponsorship. The economic benefit of Rescue 2006 to Australia was estimated at more than £18 million, with approximately 40 per cent attributable to the local area of the games.

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh is patron of the Championships and the British bid received enthusiastic support from the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown MP, and opposition leaders, as well as Lord Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Sir Roger Bannister, the first four-minute miler and now a world ambassador for sport.

source: swimnews.com