Mayor Urges London Schools to 'Get Set' for 2012 Tickets

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today joined 1,000 youngsters at the London School Games and called on all schools to register for the opportunity to receive free tickets to the 2012 Games.

The Mayor and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt met some of the 750 young competitors at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. He reminded pupils and their teachers to sign up for the London 2012 'Get Set' ticketshare programme for the 125,000 free Games tickets that are up for grabs. So far around 78 per cent of schools and colleges eligible have registered for the scheme.

Boris Johnson is determined to see that every corner of the capital benefits from the 2012 Games. In addition to the Get Set programme, where the Mayor has arranged for one in eight of the capital's schoolchildren to get into the Games for free, his £15.5 million sports legacy fund is driving up participation in sports activity in every borough.

The fund, which also aims to attract a further £15 million in match funding, already stands at £20 million as partners queue up to be part of delivering a sporting legacy for London before and after the 2012 Games.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "The London School Games is a fantastic spectacle of sport which brings young people from across the capital together through sport. When the Olympic and Paralympic Games roll into town in 2012 I want as many of the kids competing today to have a chance of getting their own front row seats so they can soak up the excitement. With just under six months to go before the 'Get Set' deadline is up I urge school kids, teachers and parents to make sure that their school doesn't miss the boat. So, get on the London 2012 website and give yourself the best chance of being at the very heart of what will be the most amazing show on earth."

The Mayor is overseeing an unprecedented drive to deliver a sports legacy in London from the 2012 Games and will shortly announce the next round of awards from his sports legacy fund following a bidding process held during the spring.

For more information, visit:getset.london2012.com

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