Mayor's 2012 race will give London school kids 'experience of a lifetime'

On the day that London marks just six months to go before the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Mayor Boris Johnson announced today that disabled children from across the capital will get the unprecedented chance to take part in a unique sporting event at the Olympic stadium next month.

Twenty children, four from each of the five host boroughs, will be selected to take part in the 'Mayor's Race', which is being organised by the sporting social enterprise Gold Challenge, the UK's only Olympic and Paralympic sport charity challenge.

The Gold Challenge event on April 1, which will feature Team GB ambassadors, celebrities and hundreds of representatives from schools and charities across the capital, will also see the children taking part in a special opening ceremony parade around the track, alongside 4,000 adults and other young people.

The children will be chosen by the Panathlon Foundation, the Mayor's partner charity which runs multi-sport competitions for young disabled people across every London borough. Panathlon is funded as part of the Mayor's £40 million 2012 Sports Legacy Programme, which is encouraging thousands of Londoners of all ages and abilities into sport.

The fund has seen substantial sums invested into projects that are focused specifically on disabled people, including the Panathlon Challenge (£250,000), the British Wheelchair Basketball London Development Programme (£95,000) and the Cricket for Change 'Hit the Top' programme (£180,000).

Importantly, the Mayor requires that every sports participation project he invests in adopts his action plan for increasing participation amongst disabled Londoners. So far, fifty major organisations - including London Boroughs and National Governing Bodies - have adopted the 'Inclusive and Active' action plan, which is creating a step change in the way that sport is delivered in London.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "This fantastic event will be held in one of the most stunning venues in the world and will give disabled children from across London the sporting experience of a lifetime. Getting people of all ages and abilities into sport is a top priority of mine and it is through the sterling work of organisations such as the Panathlon Foundation and Gold Challenge that we can make this happen. I am sure the day will provide a wonderful taster of what is to come later this summer when we welcome the world for the Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Dan Thompson, Executive Chairman and Founder of Gold Challenge said: "We have really enjoyed working with the Mayor's Office to select the participants in the Mayor's Race and the Panathlon Foundation really is a wonderful charity. It is going to be a fantastic day and a unique way of saying thank you to our participants who have been inspired by London 2012 to get active and raise money for charity".

Ashley Iceton, CEO of Panathlon Challenge said, "We can't thank Gold Challenge and the Mayor of London enough for giving the severely disabled children we work with the opportunity to compete on the Olympic and Paralympic track. This really is the stuff dreams are made of. We are delighted our Panathletes will be the among the first disabled children competing in the stadium."

For more information, contact: economicdesk@london.gov.uk

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