SHEFFIELD BACK ON DIVING WORLD STAGE
The FINA Diving World Series returns to Sheffield this spring
for the second year and with support from UK Sport and partners
from Sheffield and the Yorkshire region the event looks to
be even bigger than the first.
Sheffield's Ponds Forge International Sports Centre will
host the prestigious event from 24th - 25th May which promises
to showcase potential Olympians in the UK just two months
out from the Beijing Olympics.
UK Sport has provided funding support of up to £115,000
from its National Lottery backed World Class Events Programme
to support the international diving event. This alongside
the support from Sheffield and its partners will help towards
a promising legacy programme for the sport.
The programme is designed to extend before and beyond the
competition to enthuse young people and volunteers about the
sport who would not normally be involved in diving.
And with the support from their partners British Swimming
has been invited to host a FINA Diving Judges School. This
has many benefits including enhancing the quality and increasing
the number of British FINA judges and will be held during
the event at Ponds Forge ISC.
British Swimming's Events and Sponsorship Director Katie
Brazier highlights the importance of the event as the national
governing body begins its preparations towards 2012.
"With the support of our partners, UK Sport, Sheffield
City Council and the Regional Development Agency, we aim to
build on the success of last year's event and provide the
best environment for our athletes to compete against the world's
finest divers on home soil before they head to the Beijing
Olympic Games," she said.
"Bidding for and hosting international events is a key
part of our international strategy building towards the London
2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It's key that
we continue to build our knowledge and expertise in staging
high profile events and further develop our relationships
with our key partners in the international diving arena."
UK Sport's Senior Events Consultant, Martin Morton, said
that UK Sport's support for the event would help to develop
the sports profile along with attracting more world class
competition:
"The first FINA Diving World Series event hosted at
Ponds Forge in 2007 was deemed to be a real success,"
he said. "The 2008 event will build upon its achievements
and allow the profile of the sport to grow in the UK. With
a revised competition format designed to produced a high quality
television product this event will be a real showcase of the
world's best diving talent".
The 2008 series will offer the additional benefit of guaranteed
places for the host nations in each of the men's and women's
events as well as wild card places from the other two legs
of the series hosted by Mexico and China.
Councillor Tim Rippon, Cabinet Member for Economic regeneration,
Culture and Planning at Sheffield City Council said: "The
FINA Diving World Series is and excellent world class event.
It is great for the City to be involved in one of the world's
foremost diving competitions. Especially in the lead up to
the London 2012 Olympics.
"Ponds Forge is recognised as a world class aquatics
venue and the World Series will give spectators a chance to
see local divers competing against divers from across the
world, right here in Sheffield."
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