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Newquay Wins Rescue 2010 World Lifesaving Championships

Great Britain has won the bid to host the Rescue 2010 Lifesaving World Championships at the world famous Fistral surfing beach in Newquay, Cornwall. The decision was officially confirmed on Monday 1 October in Oporto, Portugal by the International Life Saving Federation (ILS), the central body of national associations of lifesaving clubs and the governing body for the Rescue series.

Speaking at Fistral Beach, Cornwall this morning (2 Oct), Jonathan Ball, President of Surf Life Saving Great Britain and Chairman of the British bid team said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for Britain and the result of a lot of hard work by a top class project team. We can now open serious discussions with major corporations and funding organisations to establish the budget and put in place the infrastructure for the Championships and the wider promotion of water sport and lifesaving skills amongst the community.

It is a unique opportunity for organisations to contribute positively to an ethical mission that will help to inspire young people and raise public awareness of a sporting challenge that recognises bravery, encourages selflessness, personal fitness and well being and service to the community. Aquatic sport is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and the highly challenging and visual Rescue 2010 Championships will offer international, national and local exposure to companies involved in sponsoring or supporting them.”

SLSGB and RNLI announce strategic partnership

Britain’s bid for Rescue 2010 was submitted by Surf Life Saving Great Britain (SLSGB) in partnership with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The two organisations have signed a strategic partnership to develop volunteer beach lifeguards around the coasts of Britain and the World Championships will focus public attention on the campaign and the needs and values of lifesaving skills.

Andrew Freemantle, Chief Executive of the RNLI said: “The award of Rescue 2010 to Britain will encourage the development of Britain’s swimmers and promote water sports amongst the wider population, and young people in particular, as part of a healthy lifestyle. Volunteer lifeguards are essential to our plans to double the size of our lifeguard operations in the next five years. These championships will give a huge impetus to our strategic partnership with SLSGB to develop volunteer lifeguards on our beaches.”

The success of the bid is partly due to the timing two years before London 2012. The Lifesaving World Championships, which offer a sporting legacy similar to the Olympics, are held every two years to test the skills, stamina and courage of qualified lifesavers from local clubs throughout the world. They will be the biggest competitor event in Britain before the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

Lord Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, said: “When we won the bid to bring the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to London, we hoped our success would lead to more top sporting events coming to the UK. This is a very good example – many congratulations to all involved.”

6,000 competitors and officials from the life saving national teams and clubs of 55 nations are expected to attend – greater competitor numbers than the Commonwealth Games. More than 120 individual and team events in surf and pool will be held at Newquay over two weeks in June and July in 2010. The opening ceremony will take place at the Eden Project in St Austell, Cornwall.

Gold and silver world lifesaving medallist, Katy Whear, who is a Portreath Surf Lifesaving Club member and RNLI lifeguard, was delighted with the news: “Holding Rescue 2010 in Cornwall could alter the perception of the country. I have met people in Australia who think we only have pebble beaches. Many of them don’t think of Cornwall as a destination for the World Championships, and yet we can get awesome surf and we have some really good beaches. This will be a chance to show the world how great Cornwall is.”