Fast Track has brokered the detail for Advantage West Midlands (AWM), the Regional Development Agency for the West Midlands, to be a partner to UKA, the governing body for track and field in the UK, for the two BBC televised athletics events being staged in Birmingham this year.
Advantage West Midlands, one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England established to transform English regions through sustainable economic development, will be a partner at the Aviva Grand Prix, 20 February at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena, and the Aviva European Trial and UK Championships, 25-27 June at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.
AWM will use these events to promote tourism to the region and highlight the role the Heart of England is playing in the build up to the London 2012 Games. There will also be a focus by AWM on events being held in Much Wenlock, Shropshire – heralded as the birthplace of the Modern Olympic Games.
Olympic and World Champion Keninsa Bekele has already stated his intention of aiming to break the 3000m world record at the Aviva Grand Prix, while the Swedish triple jumper Christian Olsson will return to the National Indoor Arena, where he was crowned World Indoor Champion in 2003, following a two year spell of intermittent injuries. British fans will also be able to welcome World Champion Jessica Ennis to the NIA.
Then in June Britain’s leading athletes will battle it out to secure a coveted place in the Aviva GB and NI team for the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona. World Champions Phillips Idowu and Jessica Ennis will both be hoping to impress in front of a home crowd.
Claire Furlong, Head of Marketing and Communication at UKA, said:"We welcome AWM on board as a partner to the televised events. The BBC and international broadcast platforms give us a great opportunity to promote this vibrant region and show its support of the number one Olympic and Paralympic sport.
Jim Johnston from AWM said: “Advantage West Midlands looks forward to welcoming the cream of British and international athletes to the Heart of England. The media coverage of both these high-profile events, in the Blue Riband sport of the Olympic Games, will consolidate Birmingham and Heart of England as a major player in the high-profile events market”.
Marc Hope, Fasttrack Business Director, said: “AWM’s commitment demonstrates the use of athletics – as one of the few truly global sports – in positioning a brand on the international stage”.
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For further information please contact:
Marc Hope - 0207 593 5262 / 07799 662 187 Marc.Hope@fasttrackagency.com
UKA:
UKA is the National Governing Body of athletics, the premier Olympic and Paralympic sport. We aspire to be a world leading sporting organisation delivering clear and inspirational leadership for athletics to ensure a vibrant and empowered sport at every level that can evolve to meet every challenge. We work with Home Country Federations and other partners to secure and distribute funding and develop policies for key areas and implementation at the appropriate levels, giving support and strategic guidance. For more information visit www.uka.org.uk
AWM:
Advantage West Midlands is the Regional Development Agency (RDA) for the West Midlands region – one of nine RDAs in England established to transform English regions through sustainable economic development.
Advantage West Midlands takes the lead role in setting the strategy and focus for regional economic improvement; building the partnerships needed to achieve the region’s vision; and ensuring that public money is targeted to those activities and projects best placed to make a real difference.
With an annual budget of more than £300 million to invest in the economic development of the West Midlands, Advantage West Midlands is, at any one time, managing around 2,500 projects which are changing the lives of people right across our region.
