The Sainsbury’s UK School Games 2010 will take place in Gateshead and a number of other venues across the North East in September.

To launch the event, Olympic gold medallist Jason Gardener was joined by a selection of past and present Sainsbury’s UK School Games competitors, for a sprinting masterclass at Baltic Square in Gateshead.

Gardener, who won gold as part of the triumphant 4 x 100m relay team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, owed much of his career to the foundations laid down by being a successful junior, which is just one of the reasons he is excited at being involved in the 2010 Sainsbury’s UK School Games.

He said: “I am delighted to be here helping to launch the Sainsbury’s UK School Games. I have competed many times in this region and the level of facilities on offer here are first class.

“As a young athlete trying to forge a career in elite sport, I would have loved to have been able to mix with hundreds of other athletes, learn from them and compete on a national stage against the best in my age group.

“These are exactly the opportunities the Sainsbury’s UK School Games in North East England are going to present each competitor, which will stand them in tremendous stead as they look to grow in their sport.”

Over 1,600 elite school aged athletes will descend upon Gateshead from the 2 – 5 September 2010. Cycling will join athletics, badminton, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, judo, swimming, table tennis and volleyball with disability events in swimming, athletics and table tennis which include a learning disability component. The games form part of a wider focus on increasing competitive sporting opportunities for all and are a key strand of the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People.

As well as Gateshead International Stadium, some of the best venues in the region will host sports including Newcastle University, the new sports centre at Northumbria University and Sunderland Aquatic Centre.

Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, Steve Grainger, commented: “It’s a pleasure to be here today to officially launch the 2010 Sainsbury’s UK School Games and offer a taste of the excitement we can expect come September when this four day multi-sport event gets underway.

“With London 2012 a little over two years away, it is an incredibly exciting time for sport in the UK. The Sainsbury’s UK School Games has a huge role to play in developing the competitive sporting opportunities there are for thousands of young people and also highlighting the opportunities there are for young people to officiate and volunteer in sport.”

Councillor Mick Henry from Gateshead Council, the lead partner in the Sainsbury’s UK School Games partner consortium, said: "We are delighted that all the North East Partners have joined together to host the Sainsbury’s UK School Games North East England, which will inspire and engage young people to participate in competitive sport.

“In the build-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Sainsbury’s UK School Games offer a fantastic opportunity for our leading school-aged athletes to compete against the very best in their sport and to get vital early experience of an elite multi-sport event environment.

“Gateshead and the North East in general have a rich history of producing great athletes who have excelled at Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games level, and we are proud to be associated with an event that will help nurture the elite senior athletes and champions of the future.

“I hope that during their stay the competitors, support staff, supporters and their families will enjoy the warm North East welcome, experience our wide range of attractions, and above all, our enduring passion for sport."