A MAJOR international sporting event will be held in Scotland after Lanarkshire won its bid to host the International Children's Games in 2011.
The world's largest sporting youth event, popularly known as the mini Olympics, is likely to attract 2,000 athletes aged 12-15, plus coaches and officials from more than 70 countries.
It is another sporting coup for the nation, with Glasgow ho
sting the Commonwealth Games and Gleneagles golf's Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in 2014.
Lanarkshire beat Singapore and Daegu in South Korea to host the event. Alex Salmond, First Minister, described the announcement, made yesterday in San Francisco, as great news for Lanarkshire and an international endorsement of Scotland as the perfect venue for sporting events.
He said: "The 2011 Children's Olympics will be an inspiration to children and young people right across Scotland and I'm delighted that the hard work of so many people has paid off.
"The games will give our budding sports stars of the future something to aim for and, with the Commonwealth Games coming to Glasgow just three years later, will provide the springboard for a new generation of Scottish talent to perform on the world stage."
An "entertainment extravaganza" opening ceremony will be held at Motherwell Football Club's ground, Fir Park, and a dramatic closing ceremony in Strathclyde Park, according to a spokesman for South Lanarkshire Council.
Water-sports will also be held in the country park near Motherwell, while swimming events will take place at the Dollan Aqua Centre in East Kilbride, which has a 50-metre pool.
A planned £29 million regional sports facility at Ravenscraig will also be a key venue. Hamilton sports ground will also play a major role, while athletics will also be held in the Wishaw and John Wright sport centres in East Kilbride.
South and North Lanarkshire Councils have each committed £1 million to the Games, which they vow will leave a long-term legacy on both youth sport and the health of the area.
Their joint bid included plans for a Lanarkshire-wide inter-school games, which will begin as part of the run-up to the event and continue in the years following the Games.
Jim McCabe, the leader of North Lanarkshire Council, said: "This will let us bring on the young hopefuls bidding to represent Lanarkshire at the 2011 Games. And, who knows, we may uncover potential competitors to carry Scotland's colours at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014."
Lanarkshire's bid, made last year, involved a 25-minute presentation to the ICG committee with a message from Mr Salmond.
It also featured the BBC sports presenter Hazel Irvine, Olympic gold medal cyclist Chris Hoy, Great Britain swimmer Douglas Scott, who once competed in the Children's Games, and the music duo The Proclaimers. The film, which showcased Lanarkshire, featured a number of the young athletes taking part in the current San Francisco Games.
The bid was followed by a six-day official inspection by the Games Committee.
The first International Children's Games took place in Celje, Slovenia in 1968 at the height of the Cold War. It was originally launched with seven countries – Yugoslavia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Croatia – taking part.
The concept was created by Metod Klemenc, a physical education teacher from Yugoslavia, whose vision was to help foster better understanding among children of different cultural backgrounds, as well as promoting peace and harmony.
Football star inspired by his experience of games eight years agoTHE Rangers defender Steven Smith was 14 when he was invited to take part in the International Children's Games in Ontario, Canada, in 2000.
The left-back from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, said being asked to compete against the best youngsters from around the world was a huge inspiration to him in his career.
He said he was delighted Lanarkshire had won the bid to bring the games to Scotland and give other youngsters their first taste of international competition. "I actually watched some of the athletics and some of the swimming as well, so I think the competition and the standard was very high," he said. "I think you have just got to go and enjoy it. I think it is a great experience and a great event for everyone, especially at that age to be involved in something that big."
Smith made his Rangers debut in 2003 in a game against Hearts and was named Young Player of the Month in April 2006.
He had been due to make his debut for Scotland in the European Championship qualifying matches in October 2006, but was ruled out because of a recurring thigh injury.
Smith said he hoped the people of Scotland would give the competition their full support and that people in Lanarkshire would turn up and cheer tomorrow's football stars from the sidelines.
"I think you will get good crowds, especially for the football," the Ibrox star said. "They are football mad in that area, so it is a good thing for them to get out of the house and go and watch."
Also on the 2000 trip to Canada was Amy McDonald, who now plays for Kilmarnock Ladies FC and Scotland.
