Commonwealth Games gold medallist visits Sheffield school

Former sprint champion, Leon Baptiste was at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield to highlight just one of a variety of sports that are now offered to local schools through the Sporting Promise, an initiative delivered by Matalan, Souluxe and the Youth Sport Trust to encourage more young people into PE and sport. Pic Mike Cowling

The sprinter, who won gold in the 200m and 4 x 100m relay at the 2010 Delhi Games met students from All Saints Catholic High School to promote the Sporting Promise programme - an initiative encouraging more young people to take part in PE and school sport.

Baptiste, a Sporting Promise ambassador, joined students in a dodgeball tournament with 16 teams made up from local schools.

He said: “We all recognise the benefits of physical activity but in order for young people to engage and create good habits for life, we need to create variety and make sport fun. The Sporting Promise programme provides young people with opportunities to try out some really exciting sports.

“It was great to see these kids enjoying themselves through dodgeball, demonstrating that there is an activity out there for everyone.”

Emma Flaherty, PE and school sport manager for Sheffield City Council said: “This has been a fun and inspiring day and we’re delighted to be a part of the Sporting Promise.

“It has been an honour to welcome Leon and have him share some tips and advice with the students who all enjoyed getting involved in the competition.”

Phil Chamberlain, of Youth Sport Trust, one of the organisations behind Sporting Promise, said: “Now in its fifth year, the Sporting Promise programme provides thousands of young people around the country with the opportunity to try exciting new sports.

“The support of brands like Matalan to fund these programmes is vital to ensure we deliver high quality opportunities for more young people to engage in PE and school sport.”