48
On your
marks,
get set
With a packed
calendar of events
taking us into 2010
and beyond,
everyone will find
something worth
cheering for in
culture10s sports
programme.
Creative director,
Stella Hall provides
an introduction.
N
ewcastleGateshead is renowned for
its sporting heritage, in fact a recent
article in The Times newspaper
read: "To deny the sacred status of
football in a place such as Newcastle is like
denying the usefulness of oxygen.
"With the Olympics and Paralympics being
held in London in 2012, and England bidding to
host the World Cup in 2018 (with
NewcastleGateshead and Sunderland hoping to
be Host Cities), sport will be a major highlight in
North East England's cultural offering for the next
four years and beyond.
"The Cultural Olympiad, which puts culture at
the heart of London's 2012 Olympics and
Paralympics, is focused on participation and
engaging local community groups with sport.
"Our culture10
`towards 2012' sports
programme seeks to do exactly the same, by
working with local people to widen participation
and celebrate the region's places and people.
"The culture10
sporting programme of world-
class festivals and events in 2009 celebrates the
region's excellence in a range of sporting
disciplines."Inthelatterhalfoftheyearitincludes
the Aviva British Grand Prix athletics, when the
world's top athletes gather at Gateshead's
International Stadium; the country's biggest
cycling event, Tour of Britain; Xperience Extreme
Sports weekend, featuring surfing, boarding and
bmxing; Gateshead International Cross Country,
One Day International cricket at The Riverside,
Chester-le-Street and the iconic Great North Run
programme of events which includes a brand
new event for 2009, the Great North City Games,
a revolutionary England v Australia street
athletics meeting on Saturday 19 September.
"The culture10
programme aims to not only bid
for and attract major sporting events like the
World Cup, but to nurture homegrown events.
"Sport is vital to the cultural landscape of
NewcastleGateshead and North East England,
and in the run up to London 2012 Olympics we
will welcome some of the world's top athletes to
the region. We will be also welcoming future
Olympians in September 2010 as we play host to
the fifth UK School Games."
Sporting calendar highlights from culture10
:
AVIVA BRITISH GRAND PRIX
Bank Holiday Monday, August 31, Gateshead
International Stadium.
World-class international athletics returns to
Gateshead in August with a star-studded
Grand Prix of British and overseas world-class
athletes. Last year saw superb performances
from Beijing Olympic medallists such as Asafa
Powell, Christina Ohuruogu and Kenenisa
Bekele. Equally great performances are
expected this year in both track and field
events. The event, one of only four world-class
athletics events to take place in the UK next
year, will be televised live on BBC2.
Tickets from �10. To book, please call
freephone 08000 556 056 or visit
www.uka.org.uk
TOUR OF BRITAIN
September 12-19 (North East stage planned for
September 13).
This is Britain's national elite cycle race and the
country's biggest free sporting event. A unique
eight-day professional stage race that attracts a
world-class field of 96 professional cyclists, the
sportcultureAUGUST09

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