Latest news from Loughborough University
| 4 July 2005 | PR 05/61 |
National Transplant Week
Countdown begins to British Transplant Games
One of the UK’s most remarkable sporting tournaments, The British Transplant Games, is coming to the East Midlands this summer.
The Games – which will feature over 600 people, of all ages, competing in 15 sports – will be held at Loughborough University and venues around Leicester, from 25th to 28th August.
Now in their 28th year, the annual Games aim to encourage transplant patients to live life to the full and help them to regain their fitness, while also increasing public awareness of the value of organ donation.
Organised under the auspices of the Transplant Sports Association of Great Britain (TSAGB), the Games were the brainchild of Professor Maurice Slapak, a renal transplant surgeon. They were first held in 1978 as a one-day event with around 100 participants; their success has since seen them expand into a four-day event, attracting hundreds of competitors and more than 1,000 spectators.
Christine Evans, chairman of the TSAGB and this year’s Games, says: “The British Transplant Games demonstrate the success of transplantation and illustrate the athlete’s ability to live a full and active life. None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the donors and their families.”
In hosting this year’s event, Loughborough and Leicester become the first venues to have held the Games twice – the event was previously held in Leicester in 1989 and in Loughborough in 2002.
The best performing athletes at the British Transplant Games will be selected to represent the UK at the biennial World Transplant Games. The UK has an outstanding record of success at this event, having topped the medal table every time.
Spectator entry to the Games is free of charge.
The event is being sponsored by Leicester-based retailer Next, with additional support from Dunelm Mill Ltd, Samworth Brothers and major pharmaceutical and local companies.
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For further information contact:
Hannah Baldwin, Head of PR, Loughborough University,
T: 01509 222239, E: H.E.Baldwin@lboro.ac.uk
Notes to editors
Schedule
| 25 Aug | Cycling – Abbey Park, Leicester,
5.30pm Opening ceremony, with free entertainment – Loughborough Town Hall, 7.30pm |
| 26 Aug | Archery – Cayley 1 pitch, Loughborough University,
9am Squash – Edward Herbert Building courts, Loughborough University, 9am Volleyball – New Sports Hall, Loughborough University, 9am Golf – Western Golf Course, Leicester, 9am Fishing – Braunstone Lake, Leicester, 9am Indoor Bowls – Charnwood Bowls Centre, Loughborough, 1pm Table Tennis – Netball Centre, Loughborough University, 1pm Walk – Victoria Park, Leicester, 4pm |
| 27 Aug | Mini Marathon – Victoria Park, Leicester,
8.30am Badminton – New Sports Hall, Loughborough University, 9am Snooker – Riley’s Snooker Club, Loughborough, 9am Swimming – EIS Pool, Loughborough University, 1pm Tennis – Dan Maskell Tennis Centre, Loughborough University, 1.30pm Darts – Fusion Bar, Students’ Union, Loughborough University, 7pm |
| 28 Aug | Athletics – Indoor Athletics Centre and Stadium, Loughborough University, 9.30am – 5pm |
Age categories
| Adults: 18-34 | Senior: 35-44 | |
| Veteran: 45-54 | Super Veteran: 55+ |
Children’s categories:
| Under 5s | 6-7 | 8-9 | ||
| 10-11 | 12-13 | 14-15 | 16-17 |
This week is National Transplant Week, which runs from 3 to 10 July.
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For further information contact:
Hannah Baldwin, Head of PR, Loughborough University,
T: 01509 222239, E: H.E.Baldwin@lboro.ac.uk
Notes to editors
- Loughborough has an established reputation for excellence in teaching and research, strong links with industry, and unrivalled sporting achievement. Assessments of teaching quality by the Quality Assurance Agency place Loughborough in the top flight of UK universities, and industry highlights Loughborough in its top five for graduate recruitment. Around 45% of the University’s income is for research. The University has been awarded four Queen’s Anniversary Prizes: for its collaboration with aerospace and automotive companies such as BAE Systems, Ford and Rolls Royce; for its work in developing countries; for pioneering research in optical engineering; and for its world-leading role in sports research, education and development.