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SPORT ENGLAND SEES PARTICIPATION
INCREASE IN CYCLING & RUNNING
New participation figures published by Sport England have
showed a strong growth in running and cycling but a decline
in other major sports, including football and swimming.
Overall the figures show that 6,938,000 people now take
part in a sporting activity at least three times a week.
Weekly participation in athletics has grown by over 263,000
over the past two years, mainly due to the growing network
of informal running groups across the country.
Over the same period, cycling’s numbers are up by almost
100,000 whilst netball’s participant numbers are up by over
26,000, an increase of a fifth in the size of the sport in two
years.
However, there has been a decreased amount of people
participating in the only sports with more than two million
weekly participants - swimming and football.
Sport England’s Chief Executive, Jennie Price, said: ‘It
would be fair to describe today’s results as a mixed bag.
It’s good to see a wide range of sports – from individual
pursuits like running to small team sports like lacrosse
- demonstrating that, with the right approach, increasing
grassroots participation is a realistic ambition.’
RECORD TICKET
SALES FOR EURO 2012
More than 12m ticket applications
have been received by UEFA
for the 2012 European
Championships in Poland
and Ukraine – according
to the European governing
body.
The initial application deadline for
fans worldwide has passed, with a total of
12,149,425 ticket requests made.
Ticket applications have already surpassed
the previous record for the tournament, when
10.4m people applied for ticket to the Euro 2008
championships in Austria and Switzerland.
More than 550,000 tickets are available to the
general public for next years competition, and
UEFA will stage a lottery from the 19th-22nd
April to determine the ticket recipients.
UEFA stated that almost 88% of ticket
applicants were from Poland and Ukraine, and overall
ticket sales are expected to generate Eur100m.
Townsville Gymnastic’s
appeal against fine
following death of
teenager is dismissed
Agymnasticsorganisationfined$70,000
for breaching safety obligations which
led to the death of a teenager has had
its appeal dismissed.
Townsville Gymnastics was charged
with breaching the Workplace Health
and Safety Act after gymnast Michelle
Maitland, 19, (pictured right) fell and
hit her head on the concrete floor not
covered by a safetymat at theAitkenvale
gym in June 2009. Her life-support was
turned off the following morning.
In handing down the original verdict,
Magistrate Ross Mack found Townsville
Gymnastics had not met its safety
obligations. He fined the organisation $70,000
and awarded an additional $7,175 in costs. The appeal against
this decision was dismissed by President D R Hall on 22 March this
year.
Gymnastic’s Queensland and the Department of Sports and
Recreation have made new arrangements for gym inspections
across the state, in conjunction with WH&SQ and at the direction of
the previous Attorney-General.
Ann Maitland, mother of Michelle, said “I am relieved that the appeal
was dismissed and believe it should be beneficial to current and
future participants that the inspections and assessment procedures
are being improved. Unfortunately, it is all too late for Michelle and
is very little comfort to my family but at least her death won’t have
been a total waste.”
Phil Stevens, Risk Assessor with specialist risk management
company VRA Risk, commented, “It is always distressing to hear of
accidents, injuries and deaths that have occurred which may have
been preventable or minimised by attention to detail before or during
an event through the application of good risk management principles.
Venue operators should encourage participants to enjoy their
activities knowing that on the odd occasions there will be injuries but
the risks are minimised because they have done all that is reasonably
practicable to provide safe playing surfaces, safe surrounding areas
and safe facilities.”
He added, “VRA Risk work with the venue operator to minimise risks
by surveying venues, highlighting areas that may cause harm and
reviewing procedures that are in place, so we very much support
gym inspections being introduced. Only recently, on reviewing a
gymnasium, I suggested that signs should be on all walls for users to
replace weights after use and not leave them lying around the floor
for someone else to put away. In the time between the report being
written and received a gym user had tripped over a dumbbell left on
the floor resulting in a dislocated hip.”
Michelle’s tragic death is now expected to be referred to a coroner’s
inquest.
Mrs. Maitland added, “I am hoping that the coroner will recommend
the introduction of regulations to ensure that all concrete floors in
gymnasiums should be completely covered with protective mats.”