From left: Sean Chaffey, marketing manager of P&O Ferries, John Davies, KCC chairman, Dame Kelly Holmes, Paul Carter, leader of KCC, and Hugh Robertson MP with pupils at Hayesbrook Sports College at the launch of Kent Schools Games 2010. Picture: John Westhrop

by Graham Jones

Double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes was joined by hundreds of children to launch the Kent School Games 2010 at Hayesbrook Sports College, Tonbridge, on Thursday.

The bi-annual Games, organised by Kent County Council, will give more than 30,000 youngsters, aged five to 16, the opportunity to compete in 38 different sports, including disability sports.

Dame Kelly said the event was an opportunity for children to have lots of fun, meet people and try a variety of sports.

She said: “They can represent their school, represent their area and it is going to be fantastic, especially when we get to the finals.

“I was there last year and it was great to see the enthusiasm and hear about all the heats and semi-finals.”

Dame Kelly said sports people have to go through a lot of hard work before reaching finals and is encouraging as many youngsters as possible to take part.

She said: “No-one gets to a final without going through rounds and that was the same for me when I was an athlete.

“I went through heats and a semi-final before I won my gold medals in the 800m and 1,500m.

“But we don’t have finalists without having participants and that is what these Games are about. I want everyone to be enthusiastic about it and give it a go.”

Kent County Council's head of sport, leisure and Olympics Chris Hespe said the 2010 Games were going to be even bigger than in 2008.

He said: “The inaugural Kent Schools Games involved 30,000 young people and 500 schools. It was the biggest schools games in the UK and probably Europe.

“The 2010 Games is going to be even bigger. It is going to have more children involved in the final, we are going to use more venues and have more sports.

“There are going to be 38 sporting activities, so there will be something for everybody.”

The Games was the brainchild of Kent County Council leader Paul Carter who felt there had been a massive decline in competitive sport in schools over the past 50 years.

He said: “It was my vision four years ago to have the biggest school games ever. We did that in 2008 and the 2010 schools games will be an even greater event.

“Over 50 years the amount of competitive sport in schools was on a massive decline. It had improved over the past 10 or 15 yearsbut I felt we needed to do much more.

“What better way to do this than trying to encourage all 600 schools in Kent to participate in mini-Olympics? From that, the 2008 Games became an extraordinary event.”

The local heats for the 2010 Games will be running from this month, culminating in a series of finals events in July 2010.