Hackney kids quiz Olympics minister

Olympics minister Dick Caborn was subjected to a different kind of questioning last Thursday when he met with children from Daubeney and Sebright primary schools. The minister joined Meg Hillier MP to meet with Hackney groups and answer questions on the progress of the 2012 Olympics.

The school children quizzed the minister on, among other things, opportunities for young athletes and use of the Olympic facilities post 2012.

The minister outlined plans for the School Games which will take place each year in different cities in the run up to 2012. All schools will be able to participate, with the winners progressing to the finals. The Schools Olympics will also be running a volunteer programme for those hoping to be one of the 70,000 volunteers in 2012. He also announced plans for the biggest ever cultural festival across the country, with each region hosting a song-for-the-Olympics competition.

For the budding athletes in the audience the minister outlined the Talented Athlete scholarship scheme (TASS). Sport England committed an extra £1m to this programme from April this year. In total, £17m is committed to TASS and TASS 2012 Scholarship Schemes up to 2008. The government will allocate up to £300 million in total to athlete preparations for London 2012.

The minister wowed the children with some staggering statistics about the scale of the development. The Olympic development itself will be twice the size of the new Heathrow Terminal 5 and will be built in half the time.

Also present at the meeting were representatives from the Hackney Environment Forum who pressed the case for ownership of the Olympic legacy. The minister gave a commitment to the legacy of the games saying that it would be a failure not to take the opportunity to leave the area in a better state than before.