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Team GB puts the focus
on youth with a total of 61 athletes heading off to represent
Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Tampere,
Finland from 18-25 July 2009, the British Olympic Association
(BOA) today announced.
The
10th edition of the EYOF will see nearly 2500 athletes from 49
European nations competing in a total of nine sports: athletics,
cycling, gymnastics, judo, swimming, tennis, basketball, handball
and volleyball. Participating athletes will be between 13 and
16 years old, depending on their sport.
Nine judo players have
been selected to fight for the GB team, Nekoda Davies (-57kg)
Amy Livesey (U63kg), Amy-Louise Thompson (U48kg), Chloe Jones
(U52kg), Demi Brooks (U70kg), Daniel Lyon (U66kg), Joshua Hill
(U50kg), Kyle Sweet (U55kg), Lucas Rowe (U60kg) and Taylor Bell
(U73kg) and Sam Potts (-81kg).
16-year-old Lucas Rowe
said, “I am very honoured to be selected to represent Team GB,
as this will be most prestigious event I have ever represented
Britain in. To go to a multi-sport event will give me experience
that I hope to use during the rest of my judo career.
“I am feeling confident. Obviously
anything can happen on the day, and everyone is competing to win,
but if I perform to my potential I have a good a chance as anyone
on the mat. I am working extremely hard to ensure I am fully prepared. My
training is going well and I am looking forward to getting out
there and competing against the best in Europe.”
At
the 2007 EYOF, Great Britain finished third in the medal table
with a superb haul of nine gold, seven silver and seven bronze
medals. T eam GB has been represented at every edition since it
began. A total of 28 British athletes have represented Team GB
at an EYOF and also gone on to compete at an Olympic Games.
At
the last Eurpoean Youth Olympics in 2007, judo won three medals
from Rebecca Telfer in the +70kg weight category, Kelly Edwards
who won bronze in the -48kg and Samantha Clarke who won bronze
in the -57kg.
Team GB Chef de Mission
Mark England said, “It’s fantastic and a huge privilege to be
taking a young and talented Team GB to the 2009 European Youth
Olympic Festival. I’m confident that we will see some outstanding
performances by the 61 athletes competing across the sports of
athletics, cycling, gymnastics, judo, swimming and tennis.
“The Olympic Festival
gives us the chance to discover future Olympic Champions and offers
a fantastic opportunity for the athletes to experience a multi-sport
environment reminiscent of an Olympic Games. The Festival strives
to provide a true Olympic experience to young competitors, and
the Opening Ceremony incorporates the traditions of an Olympic
Games with an athletes’ parade, athletes’ and officials’ oath,
lighting of the Festival flame, and the raising of the Olympic
Flag.”
Click on the
logo above to go to the new European Youth Olypmic GB Team website.
Media Contact:
Emma Griffin
British Judo Association
(t) 01509 631692
07875 368 495
emmagriffin@britishjudo.org.uk
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