SCHOOLCHILDREN ACROSS THE COUNTRY GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE WORLD PARA ATHLETICS CHAMPIONS

• Double Paralympic champion Libby Clegg launches nationwide schools ticket offer for the World Para Athletics Championships (14-23 July)
• The success of the London schools ticket offer and demand for 90,000 tickets has resulted in the initiative being rolled out nationwide
• Tickets are just £3 for schoolchildren and accompanying adults and teachers can attend for free
• Applications to attend selected sessions of the World Para Athletics Championships are being accepted from today (3 March 2017) until 20.17 on 24 March
• Schools can apply at http://www.paraathleticschampionships.com/TicketsForSchools

Following the overwhelming success of the London schools ticket offer for the World Para Athletics Championships, double Paralympic champion Libby Clegg has today launched the nationwide roll out to give all schoolchildren across the UK the opportunity to attend this summer’s biggest sporting event.

More than 1,000 schools from every single London borough applied for over 90,000 tickets during the initial window of the ticket offer. Now Clegg, who won double gold at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games last summer, and her guide Chris Clarke are officially extending the opportunity nationwide following a special visit to The Cedars Academy in Leicester.

The offer creates the opportunity for tens of thousands of schoolchildren from across the UK to experience a once in a lifetime trip to attend selected sessions of the World Para Athletics Championships, which run from 14-23 July at the London Stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Double Paralympic champion Libby Clegg, who is set to compete during the available schools sessions, said: “This is a great opportunity for schools nationwide to be part of the biggest sporting event in the world in 2017. I really enjoyed visiting The Cedars Academy today with Chris and their enthusiasm for the Championships was contagious. I have the most amazing memories of being in the former Olympic Stadium, both competing and cheering on my teammates, and I’m sure that all of the children who get to come along with their school to watch the World Para Athletics Championships will leave inspired by what they see. It’s certainly an opportunity not to be missed.”

Tickets cost just £3 for schoolchildren with accompanying adults and teachers able to attend for free. Sessions available are the evenings of Monday 17 July, Tuesday 18 July and Wednesday 19 July, and to meet the overwhelming demand, organisers have also made the morning of Sunday 16 July available for schools attendees.

Sally Wicken, Vice Principal at The Cedars Academy, said: “It was a very special morning having Libby and Chris pop into the school. They are such a successful partnership, as we saw at the Paralympic Games, and our pupils can learn a lot from both of them. Libby and Chris were a pleasure to have around and it is great that athletes so local to us are happy to take time out of their busy schedules to see us. As a school we are delighted to hear that the ticket offer for the World Para Athletics Championships is now available to every school in the UK and we will be putting our application in straightaway.”

Niels de Vos, Championship Director for the World Para Athletics Championships London 2017, said: “We’re thrilled to be in a position to invite schoolchildren from across the country to what will be an incredible sporting event. We all cherish the memories from the London 2012 Paralympic Games and that unbelievable and thrilling atmosphere in the stadium. That’s exactly what we’ll be replicating this summer and we can’t wait for schoolchildren to witness some incredible feats of sporting achievement.”

Sports Minister Tracey Crouch said: “It is fantastic that children across the country are going to be able to see the best Para athletes in the world in London this summer for only £3 a ticket. Our Paralympic stars made the country proud last summer in Rio and I am sure they will do just the same in the capital in July. I urge schools to apply for tickets and not to miss out on what will be an incredible, inspirational competition.”

Applications are being accepted from 10am today (3 March 2017) until 20.17 on 24 March at http://www.paraathleticschampionships.com/TicketsForSchools and will be open to all UK primary and secondary schools.

For schools outside of London wanting to provide a school trip to pupils including travel, accommodation and a ticket to the World Para Athletics Championships, we are working with Sport Experiences schools travel package to provide this. Visit for more info: http://www.sportexperiences.co.uk/PB1LPA01/world-paraathletics-championships-london-2017.

The ticket offer is just one part of a comprehensive schools programme launched for the Summer of World Athletics. In January, organisers launched Starting Blocks schools.london2017athletics.com as the official education programme for both the World Para Athletics Championships and IAAF World Championships – a digital hub providing free, curriculum-linked resources for teachers of pupils aged five to 14.

The World Para Athletics Championships and the IAAF World Championships will bring together 3,000 world-class athletes from more than 200 countries, who will compete in 30 sessions across 20 amazing days.