UK Sport

International Inspiration

Inspiring young people around the world to choose sport
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International Inspiration is bringing into reality the ‘Singapore Vision’ – the promise made by the London 2012 bid team to ‘reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport’.

The Programme aims to use the power of sport to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities, in schools and communities across the world, particularly in developing countries, through the power of high quality and inclusive physical education, sport and play. This will not only deliver the ambitions promised in Singapore - and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals -but will also set the foundations for a true international legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The International Inspiration Programme was announced by the then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in India on 21 January 2008. Its vision is to enrich the lives of 12 million children and young people of all abilities, in schools and communities in 20 countries across the world, through the power of high quality and inclusive sport, physical education and play. The programme is due to be completed by June 2014. To learn more about the programme and its impact,
International Inspiration Ambassadors, visit the International Inspiration website.

The Programme broke new ground in receiving the formal backing of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. This was the first time an Olympic Games Organising Committee had undertaken an international legacy programme of this kind.

International Inspiration has brought together a unique coalition of organisations: the programme is governed by a charity, ‘International Inspiration’, chaired by Lord Seb Coe, and was an official component of the LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) International Education Programme. Delivery is led by UK Sport, in partnership with the British Council and UNICEF. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Premier League are key partners providing funding and other support, and the British Olympic Foundation and the British Paralympic Association are also central to the programme. In each country implementation is supported by UK expertise from the Youth Sport Trust, local implementing partners and the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee in each country.

International Inspiration Ambassadors are united by their commitment to the International Inspiration mission. Olympic medalists and sporting heroes are some of the most iconic individuals in the world today and act as role models for millions of children and young people. They help us to reach a wider audience, enabling us to highlight how International Inspiration is transforming the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities across the world.

David Beckham, Sir Chris Hoy, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson have joined forces to add their support to International Inspiration.