UK Athletics (UKA) has today announced that its major domestic track and field meetings will be televised live on the BBC until well after the London Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.

After a hugely successful 2008 UK School Games, the multi-sport event for the UK’s best young athletes is in the market for a presenting partner for this year’s event in South Wales and going forward.

Last summer’s record breaking event in Bristol and Bath was attended by 1500 school-age athletes, and gained seven pieces of national press, 968 regional print pieces, 343 web-site pieces, and several regional TV and radio pieces with a total advertising value equivalent of £787,257. In addition, BBC Breakfast presented live from the event, and Channel 4 broadcast two UK School Games highlight shows after the event.

The UK School Games presenting partner will transform competitive school sport, also become the official supporter to a series of county and regional competitions in England, have presenting rights to intra-school competition across 22,500 schools, and activate significant branding across the Games with extensive TV, print and online reach. The UK School Games will be at the pinnacle of a new competitive structure for young people in sport.

Since its inception in 2006, the event has grown into a nine sport, four-day Games environment designed to replicate the feel of a major event with an opening and closing ceremony plus an athletes’ village. There will be 10 sports in 2009 including Track Cycling. Each UK School Games has been attended by a host of sporting champions and many Government ministers. The UK School Games are also providing a range of volunteering opportunities for young people and professional development for Team Managers. The brainchild of then-Minister of Sport Richard Caborn, its creation was to drive the resurrection of competitive sport for all young people with clear and well defined pathways for those with talent and ambition.

Event organisers, the Youth Sport Trust, appointed the UK’s leading sports marketing agency, Fast Track, to deliver event management, media and commercial services for the UK School Games from 2006. Fast Track provides integrated support and runs the event from the planning stages to the final media roundup with their communications team.

Fast Track brokered six partners for the 2008 Games including two long-term deals going forward. These include the UK’s largest teacher’s union, NASUWT, who also have a new half a million pound, five year deal with UK athletics also negotiated by Fast Track, and First Group, the world’s leading transport operator. The other suppliers for the 2008 UK School Games were Kelloggs, Speedo and Mobilis, for which future partnership is under negotiation.

The UK School Games is also funded by a £6 million grant from Legacy Trust UK, a charitable trust which supports cultural, artistic, educational and sporting activities that celebrate the 2012 Games.

The sports programme increased to nine sports in 2008; hockey, athletics, badminton, fencing, gymnastics, judo, swimming, table tennis and volleyball. Swimming, athletics and table tennis integrate disabled athletes into their programme, including athletes with a leading disability in the table tennis event. Beijing 100m freestyle gold medallist Eleanor Simmonds competed at the UK School Games in 2006.

Steve Grainger, Chief Executive, Youth Sport Trust, said: “The UK School Games encourages more young people to take part and succeed in sport and offers an ideal platform for them to experience a multi sport event, many for the first time. There has never been a more exciting time to be involved in sport and the 2009-11 UK School Games is set to be both an inspirational and motivational sporting event for young people.”

Fast Track’s Director of Rights Marketing, Marc Hope said: "This unique opportunity, now enhanced with the all year round competitive school sport structure, gives a company or brand the once in a lifetime chance to be at the heart of developing our talent for 2012 and beyond.”

The 2009 UK School Games will take place in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea on September 3-6, 2009.

ENDS For further information about the UK School Games, please contact Marc Hope, Director of Rights Marketing at Fast Track on 0207 593 5262, or 07799662187.