Olympic Legend Gets Active In Chiswick

Decathlon champion Daley Thompson launches Go Free! at Esporta Riverside

Double Olympic gold medalist Daley Thompson chose Chiswick to launch a new programme to encourage children to get active this summer.

The decathlon legend was at The Riverside Club putting lucky pupils from St Mary’s School, through their paces, giving children a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in activities with the former Olympic champion, in a series of events from swimming to martial arts.

The UK’s favorite Olympian, as voted in a recent survey, was there to launch Nestlé GO FREE, 2008, which gives kids and families access to free sports, activity sessions and lessons at over 3,000 participating venues throughout the UK and Ireland.

Daley Thompson said that it was vital that parents understood the importance of encouraging their kids to stay active in the summer months and beyond.

"Staying active is key to a healthy mind and a happy lifestyle, so it's vital that we as parents encourage our kids to be active and keep moving, and it’s great that campaigns like Nestlé GO FREE allows us to do this.

“Schools are starting to do a much better job of encouraging participation, but as parents we need to make sure outside of school hours and during the holidays, our kids are staying active and continue to enjoy sports and activities.”

After a day of swimming, martial arts, tennis, football, and gymnastics Daley said: “I believe that every child has some sporting gene in them, whether its gym, dance, or just a love of team sports, so it’s great that I have had the opportunity to come down and show them that sport really is for anyone.

“Hopefully these kids will take away some useful tips, and go on to enjoy being active and enjoy sports. You never know, some of these kids might even find skills they never thought they had. “

Speaking about meeting the Olympic legend, 11 year old Ben said, “It was so cool! He was so nice teaching us how to do loads of sports stuff. I feel so lucky to meet such a great sportsman.”

July 16, 2008