OKEHAMPTON has been selected to stage one of the biggest ever countywide celebrations of youth sport with more than a thousand young athletes expected to take part. The Devon Youth Games, being held in June, is being sponsored with £20,000 of Devon County Council money. The Plymouth-based DML Sports and Social Club is also sponsoring the games with a £2,500 donation. West Devon Borough Council is hosting the day-long annual festival of sport which will bring together more than 1,000 young people from local authority areas in the county. Sports for the eight to 16 year-olds include aquathlon (swimming/running), athletics, badminton, cricket, volleyball, hockey, tag rugby, tennis, netball, street sports and gymnastics. The games will take place in Simmons Park using facilities at Okehampton College, Parklands Leisure Centre, Okehampton Tennis Courts and the Astroturf pitch. Stuart Lord, sports manager of the Okehampton Community Recreational Association, was happy with the news. He said: 'It is a fantastic achievement to have the games here. It will also celebrate the beauty of Simmons Park and the college campus. It also reflects the sporting quality of the town that it can attract such an event and it is great for the youngsters here who love sport and want to get involved. 'We have sporting facilities such as Parklands leisure centre, the tennis courts, the rugby club, and the college, alongside the beauty of Dartmoor, and it can only help to boost not only sport but tourism in the town.' Jon Farr, head of physical education at Okehampton College, added: 'Hosting the Devon Youth Games in Okehampton will be an excellent opportunity for young people from our area to take part in an exciting Festival of Sport. 'There will be more than a thousand competitors taking part in a whole variety of sports, so I hope it will encourage lots of girls and boys from our area to try out for the West Devon teams, and those not competing should certainly come along to watch and support.' The games, which were initiated in 1999, are part of a sport development process within Devon and create a wide range of opportunities for young people to participate and compete. The competition is for those who have generally not had the opportunity to play at county level or above but have an ability and enthusiasm for their sport. The games will take place on Saturday June 30. Anyone wanting to take part should be aged between eight and 16 and live in one of the eight participating local authority areas. West Devon Mayor Cllr Ken Williams said: 'This is a wonderful opportunity for the young people of Devon to savour the sporting delights on offer in West Devon.'
