1. Skip to Content
  2. Skip to Site Navigation
  3. Skip to Page Navigation
  4. Skip to Useful Links

Surrey Sports Park host Media Olympic Experience Day

13 October 2011

sportsmediaday

Journalists had the chance to experience an array of Olympic and Paralympic sports at Surrey Sports Park today as part of a Media Olympics Day at the centre.

The event offered local, regional and national media the chance to try a number of different sports including fencing, basketball, wheelchair basketball and synchronised swimming.

Taster sessions in fencing were taken by young Great Britain fencer Liz Ng and a team of fencers led by Surrey Swords coach Graham Forster.

Ahead of next summer’s London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Great Britain women’s basketball players Julie Page and Sarah McKay returned to the Sports Park and coached journalists basketball techniques, whilst Great Britain wheelchair basketball athlete Helen Turner showed participants the differences in playing the sport from a wheelchair in the Paralympic sport.

Young GB synchronised swimmer Abi Lawrence, led by coach Louise Wooley, also performed a routine to media in the pool, which has been home to a number of past Great Britain Synchro Squad training camps.

The final part of the event saw journalists take to the on-site Surrey Human Performance Institute for a series of tests including VO2Max and jump assessments with sports performance experts Karen Williams and James Wild.

Commenting on the media day, Surrey Sports Park Chief Executive Paul Blanchard said, “It was a pleasure to welcome all the athletes and media here today for a unique opportunity to experience a variety of Olympic and Paralympic sports which take place in our facility on a daily basis.

“Surrey Sports Park is a hub of sporting activity, from elite to grassroots level, and we are keen to show the opportunities available to everybody to keep active and get involved in sport ahead of London 2012.”

The action unfolded live on twitter @surreysportpark throughout the day. Take a look at the pictures and reaction by following @surreysportpark or searching ≠mediaolympics

Video and press reaction will be coming soon, including an exclusive interview with surprise guest and Harlequins star Ugo Monye.