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Tony Blair starts the race to find grassroots sports heroes
Matthew Beard, Sports News Correspondent21.05.09
Tony Blair today called for the community heroes behind London's “amazing” grassroots sports projects to come forward to be celebrated.
He appealed for men and women who run sports projects in deprived areas across the city to become part of an “Olympics legacy” award highlighting the vital role of community sport.
Launching the search for London's most innovative sports leaders, the former prime minister said the 2012 Games were a unique chance to improve the capital's well-being.
He told the Standard: “This is the moment to galvanise people. It is important to realise this is going to be the most amazing opportunity to showcase the country. Sport is going to come on to the stage in a completely different way in 2012 from anything we can remember since the 1966 World Cup — it is a huge moment.”
The London Legacy Award, supported by the Standard, aims to find the most imaginative projects across London and showcase them to the world. Mr Blair said: “The idea for a legacy during the bid was about how sport contributes to wider society.
“There are amazing grassroots projects going on using sports to help tackle social exclusion or mental illness or giving youngsters in London a chance to get engaged in the most worthwhile activity.”
Standard readers can choose the club or programme which has best used sport as a vehicle to improve the lives of disadvantaged Londoners. Mr Blair, who fought hard for London to get the Games, believes grassroots schemes prove the “Olympic effect” can help tackle social exclusion.
“In 2012 there's got to be a sense it is about more than great stadia and three or four weeks during the Olympics. It's about building something that lasts and promotes London,” he said.
London Mayor Boris Johnson is backing the award. He said: “It reflects some of the work that my sports commissioner, Kate Hoey, and I are already doing in London, to use sport participation and physical activity as a vehicle for positive social change.”
The Beyond Sport organisation, which helps groups who promote social change through sport, is funding the award. Its founder, Nick Keller, said: “We are looking to support organisations that use sport to tackle issues such as knife crime, health and education. Beyond Sport is working globally to unearth the best of these projects, but it is fitting that we recognise London as Olympic host city.”
Those wishing to enter the London Legacy Award should apply to Beyond Sport via the Standard's website by 3 June. A shortlist of five applicants will be selected by a judging panel and from 12-26 June readers will be able to vote for their favourite.
Mr Johnson will announce the winner of the award's £60,000 prize on 9 July.
The london legacy award
* It will recognise a sports project which will improve the lives of disadvantaged Londoners. The £60,000 prize will go to a sports scheme that pledges to tackle social problems, such as knife crime or drug addiction, or promotes community cohesion.
* The scheme is funded by the Beyond Sport organisation and City Hall. Beyond Sport was launched this year by entrepreneur Nick Keller, who appointed Tony Blair as chairman of the judging panel.
* Beyond Sport will also be backing six international projects to be announced in London on 9 July, the same day as the London Legacy Award.
To visit the Beyond Sport website click here
Reader views (27)
Why does anyone listen to this man. He's been the architect of everything that's rotten in Britain. For God's sake ignore him (it).
- Peter, France
Hasn't Tony Blair already done enough damage to Britain?
- Fraser, Telford Park
Thank God he gave us someone called TONY BLAIR
- George, LONDON
Hey, Tone, know a reliable roofing contractor? Got circa seven grand to blow and need to sort it sharpish.
- Ted, London
Blair and the concept of 'dignified silence' have yet to make their acquaintance. Just go away and never darken this Island's doors again.
- Mango, London
Sean Rathbone, London ---you beat me to it.
Go away Tony and count your money, haven't you got the message yet ? We don't want to hear from you any more. You have damaged the country enough already. Shut up now please.
- E.Nuff, London
Go away Tony, this country hates you.
- Sean Rathbone, london
Seriously, is anyone in England listening to this washed-up has-been Blair?
The UN should instruct this halfwit to wander the streets of Baghdad for twenty-four-hours to test his international credibility.
- Ted, London
£60,000 for grassroots sport - how generous! Compare that with the £60 million for consultants, and the bonuses for the Olympic Delivery Authority etc etc.
What about the legacy beyond London? I have spent the last seven years campaigning to try and get our Grade II Listed Olympic-sized lido, Broomhill Pool, restored and re-opened. Pools in Beccles and Halesworth have also closed and so there are now no public open air swimming pools anywhere in Suffolk - what kind of 'legacy' is that?
- Sally Wainman, Ipswich Suffolk
Grass roots? Surely it should be concrete roots after the playing fields and open spaces were sold on to developers. Go crawl back under your stone, you treacherous little man.
- Symon, London, london, england
Blair should donate some of the greasy millions he has reaped in to poosr athletes
- Jaberwokie, Switzerland
Val Daniels, Mijas Costa - he was also instrumental in allowing the selling off of any number of school playing fields!
- Paul, London
This man has skin as thick as a rhino. Most of us are still trying to crawl out of the legacy Blair left behind. Would anyone buy a second hand car from this liar? Middle east envoy may backside, a neocon friend of Bush, Rumsfeld, and Cheney you couldn't get a less suited candidate for the job.
- James, london
Isnt this the chap who is meant to be Middle East Peace Envoy??..did he get the sack then?...is this his new job ??....bet you he is still earning out of it though despite his £50 million Income last year.
- Clf, London
This will be the next easy GRAVY TRAIN for all the" Expenses " crew looking for new pastures to plunder at the TAXPAYERS expense ! Here we go again.
- A.Taxpayer, london
When is Teflon Tony going to realize that he is not wanted here anymore...he may be popular in the USA and the Irish Republic, but his years of stewardship of this country have only resulted in us all having to face years of austerity.
- Lloyd, Glan Conwy UK.
When will you all realise that the best way to put everyone off any project,is to let that poor demented creature be its advocate?
- A Macmillan, Volos Greece
Why doesn't this bafooon just disappear from public life completely, I'm fed up with seeing his silly face. Gordon is bad enough but he's only carrying on with what this idiot started.
- Jj, London
How long will it be until his money grabbing wife crawls out of the woodwork and sticks her oar in .... for a fee of course.
- Goggs, London
C'mon AC which one do you work for then?
- Mark, South-East London
#Marianne
As he was instrumental in bringing the Olympics to London, it seems only right that he should be involved in promoting a sporting legacy.
- Val Daniels, Mijas Costa, Spain
Why is Mr Bliar involved? Isn't he everyone's anti-hero?
- Marianne, SW France/London
These comments seem a bit cynical. This 'call for London projects' looks like quite a good way to develop grassroots initiatives in the captial. In my opinion, not enough of this is being done, and the fact that TB, Beyond Sport, the Mayor, and the Eve. Standard are making an effort to uncover these projects and fund them is admirable and pro-active. £60,000 can go far to help those in London's most struggling areas have more opportnities... if London is going to have a legacy, I'd want it to be that -- sport and development -- over anything else.
- Ac, London, UK
Most of the local community are on grass.That's where the connection ends.
- Steve, London
Tony who?
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
Far too late Tony. You done nothing when you was PM so your words seem a little hollow!
Although I don't agree with London Olympics from day one every piece of open ground, parks, supermarket parks car parks etc., etc., should have been given over to trying to find some actual talent and developing it.
This "legacy" talk is rubbish too. The only legacy we'll see is in our Council tax bills for decades!
Lord Coe and his Tory mates should never have sold off all those school playing fields!
- Mark, South-East London
After all the damage he has caused he and his wife, comrade Cherie, could lead the way and take a running jump!
- Joe, Thornton Heath, UK
