POSTED: February 1st 2009
InDepth
Mayor orders up £15m cheque
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT / Sports Features Communications
LONDON: London Mayor Boris Johnson has confirmed his Beijing pledge to invest £15.5m in grassroots sport in the capital. The Mayor's commitment was central to his ambition of increasing participation in sport to tackle health and obesity issue.
This is the first time he has exercised his statutory power to direct the London Development Agency to allocate this sum from its budget over three years.
The cash also underpins delivery of the Mayor's Olympics Sports Legacy Plan being prepared by Sports Commissioner Kate Hoey, in partnership with Sport England and supported by sports governing bodies, London boroughs and the private sector.
Johnson said: “The success of the 2012 Games must not just be judged on the regeneration benefits of the new homes, jobs and skills that will be delivered.
"In years to come we must be able to look back and see how we used this once in a lifetime opportunity to massively increase sporting participation and activity in the capital and consequently improved the health and well being of Londoners.
“Kate Hoey is bringing together some excellent ideas and initiatives and this funding will ensure we can start delivering this ambitious plan as soon as it is agreed."
The investment should eventually top £30m when the other sports and public and private sector bodies supporting the plan provide matching funding.
Hoey said: “This funding will underpin the work we’ll set out in the Sports Legacy Plan. The Plan will show how we will invest in a sporting legacy for every single Londoner. It will act as a catalyst for driving forward a sustained increase in participation across the city. We have three years left and today is a major step in the right direction."
Olympic gold medallist, Darren Campbell said: “I’ve seen some of the fantastic work going on at the grass-roots in London and I know that with the right support, great things can be achieved."
Keywords · London 2012 · Mayor · Johnson · London Development Agency · Hoey
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