§ Mr. Mark RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on the implementation of Government sports policies set down in the document, "Sport: Raising the Game". [3999]
§ Mr. SproatIn July 1995 the Government set out in "Sport: Raising the Game", its strategy for revitalising British sport at all levels from primary schools to the Olympic podium. Our aim is to put sport at the heart of weekly life in every school, to ensure that sporting opportunities continue after school, to improve the way we identify and support talented athletes, and to create a British academy of sport as the pinnacle of regional network of centres of sporting excellence and academies for particular sports.
Last July, in "Sport: Raising the Game", the first year report, we provided a detailed update which showed that significant progress had been made on the 38 action points set out in the original sports policy statement. This included the publication of the prospectus inviting bids to establish the British academy of sport.
Since July, further progress has been made. The Sports Council's £1 million challenge fund, to encourage schools-sports club links, has been launched; secondary schools have been invited to apply for the sportsmark and sportsmark gold awards, which recognise those schools that have particularly good policies for sport; teachers have been invited to attend free courses to help them gain national governing body of sport awards; and, on 14 November, the Sports Council launched its world class performance programme to provide support to our most talented athletes competing up to olympic and world championship level.