07 August 2008
GreaterSport and Body Worlds 4 team up to celebrate the start
of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics
08 08 08 marks the start of the Beijing Olympics and Paralympic
Games and over 5,000 miles away from the Opening Ceremony, Greater
Manchester has been right behind the Games by marking this historic
date with a unique partnership event between Body Worlds 4,
GreaterSport (the Greater Manchester County Sports Partnership) and
Club Mark.
In a unique deal, Body Worlds 4 offered every Club Mark accredited
Community Sports Club in the Northwest of England two free tickets
to attend the exhibition on Friday, August 8th, 2008 to celebrate
the start of the Games.
GreaterSport were in attendance on the day running a series of
on-site activities for club attendees and the general public to
encourage young people to and adults alike to be inspired by the
Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing with a view to getting people
active for life in readiness for the legacy of the London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Richard Saunders, Chief Executive for GreaterSport says:
“The Beijing Olympics and Paralympics will undoubtedly inspire many
people to take up sport, and through the hard work of the Olympians
and Paralympians, many of whom will have started their journey to
gold at a young age, history will be made. It is essential
that we, as a County Sports Partnership embrace this energy and
share it with the general public and future medallists alike.
The Body Worlds 4 exhibition is offering us such a unique and
innovative way to share our passion for sport as well as working in
partnership with Club Mark to reward clubs that have gone above and
beyond in offering quality sport to young people. What better way
to start understanding the health benefits of sport than partnering
with an exhibition that gives you such a fantastic insight into the
physiology of the human body? We look forward to welcoming
our clubs to the exhibition on Friday.”
The legacy planning for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic
Games is already well underway in Greater Manchester and the North
West, with one of the outcomes of the Games being that there is an
increase in sports participation.
Andy Worthington, Chair of the North West Steering Group for the
2012 Games, said:
“I am delighted to hear of this innovative partnership between the
sports and cultural sectors in celebrating the start of a Worldwide
celebration of sport. The Be Inspired Legacy campaign in the
North West was launched in May 2007 as we know that we have to be
ready and prepared to make the most out of the Games.
GreaterSport are a forward thinking community sports agency, and
one of the key partners in making sure that we achieve our Legacy
aims. Their proactive approach in working with Body Worlds 4
and Club Mark demonstrate that the region is actively engaging with
people to make Legacy plans become real.”
Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS 4: The Original Exhibition of Real
Human Bodies, at the Museum of Science & Industry (mosi),
features a sporting theme to tie in with the city’s record year of
International sport. Dr. von Hagens’ latest collection includes
plastinated bodies in dynamic sporting poses such as swimming,
badminton, running and football – making it the perfect backdrop
for GreaterSport’s latest initiative in support of its aim to
encourage young people and adults to be inspired by sport and
promote active lifestyles.
For more information, please contact Laura Hall, Marketing and
Information Officer, on 07920 151138.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
GreaterSport – Greater Manchester Sports Partnership
The Greater Manchester Sports Partnership is committed to work
towards the creation of a single system for sport in Greater
Manchester. The Partnership has developed as a network of
organisations who work together around common
interests. GreaterSport is the central team whose
dedicated role is to promote the health of this network by
coordinating and facilitating joint working.
GreaterSport are part funded by Sport England. Sport England
exists to sustain and increase participation in community sport. It
is a non-departmental public body and National Lottery distributor.
Sport England's ambition is to get two million people participating
more in sport by 2012. Sport England does this by promoting,
advising and investing in community sport. Sport England has been a
statutory consultee on planning applications affecting playing
fields since August 1996. Sport England objects to any application
that is detrimental to sport, unless alternative provision of at
least equivalent value is found elsewhere.
For more information please contact Laura Hall, Marketing and
Information Officer, GreaterSport, Greater Manchester Sports
Partnership, Belle Vue Athletics Centre, Pink Bank Lane,
Manchester, M12 5GL. T:0161 223 1002
E:laurah@greatersport.co.uk W:www.greatersport.co.uk
The North West Steering Group for the 2012 Games
The North West Steering Group for the 2012 Games has been
established to develop and implement plans to ensure that the
region fully plays its part in supporting the Games and exploits
the many opportunities that they bring. The Group provides a formal
link to the London 2012 Nations and Regions Group.
Across the Northwest on Sunday, August 24th people will be
celebrating the official handover of the Olympic and Paralympic
Games from Beijing to London. Flags will raised across the region
and various celebratory events will be taking place including two
‘Live Sites’ in Manchester and Liverpool. These are giant screens
which will broadcast the Handover party taking place in the
Mall.
About BODY WORLDS 4
• BODY WORLDS 4 is the culmination of Dr von Hagens’ 30 year
career in anatomy. The exhibition premiere in Manchester features
numerous plastinates never seen before. Previous exhibitions of
BODY WORLDS have attracted nearly 25 million visitors, making it
the most highly attended touring exhibition in the world.
• Dr Gunther von Hagens, a licensed physician and former
researcher at the University of Heidelberg’s Anatomy and Pathology
Department, invented Plastination in 1977, in an effort to improve
the education of medical students. The exhibition emphasises the
importance of healthy lifestyles, and includes several plastinates
posed in sporting activities, such as badminton, running and
jumping, to demonstrate muscle function.
• The organs and whole-body plastinates in the exhibition
derive from people who have, in their lifetime, generously donated
their bodies for Plastination, to specifically educate future
generations about health. More than 8,000 donors including 103 from
Britain have bequeathed their bodies to von Hagens’ Institute for
Plastination in Heidelberg, Germany.
• BODY WORLDS 4 is supported by the British Red Cross, the
Association of European Cancer Leagues and the Polycystic Kidney
Disease charity.
About Tickets to BODY WORLDS 4
• BODY WORLDS 4 tickets are on sale priced £10.00/£11.50
(Mon-Thur/Fri-Sun), £7.00/£8.50 (children/youth), or £8.00/ £9.50
(senior citizens/students with ID). Special group rates apply.
Tickets are available from the MOSI box office and on our website
at www.mosi.org.uk and
through www.seetickets.com
• For phone ticket order please call 0871 231 0847, for group
booking 0844 412 4650.
For more information please contact Michele Lewis, Communications
and Media Manager, Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS 4. T: 0161 606
0178 or M: 07729 501 369