Belfast bids for World Transplant Games
Belfast is bidding to host the World Transplant Games in 2011.
The games are organised by the World Transplant Games Federation, to publicly and visibly demonstrate the benefits of successful organ transplants, to increase public awareness of transplants and so increase organ donation, as well as to promote the full rehabilitation and wellbeing of the participants.
The games embrace all ages, from four - 80 years old, with 14 different sports to suit all capabilities, including athletics, swimming, racquet sports, golf, volleyball and cycling. The standards of these games are high: the 100 metres record is 11.18 seconds and the long jump record is 6.95 metres!
Launching Belfast’s bid, Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers said:
“After many years of being known all over the world for all the wrong reasons, Belfast, in a few short years, has increasingly been the focus of international attention for all the right reasons. Over recent years there has been a remarkable investment of hundreds of millions of pounds spent on our entertainment, leisure, sporting and accommodation sectors.
“Now a city truly for the 21st century, Belfast already has a well-established record of hosting many major sporting and cultural events, attracting visitors from all around the world – a record emphasized when we recently won the right to host the World Police and Firefighter Games in 2013.
“Belfast has shown not just its ability to host successful international sporting events of any size, but to infuse them with a spirit of warmth and enthusiasm which springs from the unique qualities of its people. For all these reasons, and many more, I believe that, when this bid is successful, the 2011 World Transplant Games in Belfast will be remembered as the most successful and friendliest ever.
Eamonn McCartan, Chief Executive of Sport Northern Ireland and chair of the local bid organising committee, added:
“Belfast has hosted many major sporting events including, most recently, the U19 Rugby World Cup, the Commonwealth Fencing Championships and the Women’s World Squash Championships. These events brought many thousands of athletes, coaches, friends and family from around the world to the city.
“Belfast has the experience, the enthusiasm, the determination and the drive to make the 2011 World Transplant Games the biggest, the best and the friendliest games ever. We are ready, willing and able to provide an enduring legacy of a successful sporting event for the city, for Northern Ireland and for the rest of the United Kingdom - whilst also increasing the awareness of the important issue of donation”
Leading the Belfast bid is Janet Coleman, a transplant recipient, who said:
“I have competed in every summer World Transplant Games event since receiving my kidney transplant in 1984. In doing so, I have witnessed first hand the positive media attention generated – countries hosting past Games have reported an increase in organ donation rates by as much as 60 per cent.
“We genuinely believe that bringing the World Transplant Games to Belfast will give more people in Northern Ireland the opportunity to receive the ‘Gift of Life’.”
Belfast’s bid to host the 2011 World Transplant Games is a partnership between Northern Ireland Events, Sport NI, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, the Department of Health, Transplant Sport UK and Belfast City Council.
It is backed by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and the London Organising Committee of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It also is supported by Special Olympics Ireland, the Irish Cricket Union, the International Rugby Board, the Irish Amateur Boxing Association and the World Squash Federation, who all have endorsed the Belfast bid.
The Belfast bid will be presented at the 2007 Games in Bangkok, Thailand later this month.
Belfast is the United Kingdom’s nominated city to host the 2011 games, and is in competition with Denmark and Sweden. The successful city will not be named until August 2008.
