London 2012 gold medalist Hannah Cockroft officially started the 2013 Sainsbury’s School Games during a glittering opening ceremony in Sheffield last night.
Hundreds of youngsters from around the country, including scores from Greater Manchester, have descended upon Sheffield to compete in the multi-sport event, billed as a mini-Olympics and Paralympics by those who take part.
Before going on to take double gold in the Paralympic Games last summer, Cockroft featured several times at the Sainsbury’s School Games, with fellow London 2012 stars Ellie Simmonds, Jonnie Peacock and Holly Bleasdale also among the event’s alumni.
Cockroft was invited on stage at the opening ceremony, held at Sheffield’s Motorpoint Arena, to declare the Games open.
Earlier in the day competition had kicked off volleyball and England South girls earned bragging rights for the first victory of the competition as they beat England Central 2-0 at the English Institute of Sport.
The event is supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust.
The Sainsbury’s 2013 School Games, which is supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, was held in venues across Sheffield from 12-15 September 2013. Visit www.2013schoolgames.com for more.
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