17 July 2014
Corporate News

Thousands of children swam, ran and cycled nearly 6,500 miles in Tata – Kids of Steel® triathlon series

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Almost 7,000 children swam, ran and cycled nearly 6,500 miles between them in the Tata – Kids of Steel triathlon series in Great Britain.

The series of nine mini triathlon events – organised by Tata Steel and the British Triathlon Federation – involved kids from 188 schools across Great Britain. This year’s Tata – Kids of Steel series began in May and concluded with events in Swansea and Newport last week.

During the eighth annual triathlon series, children aged between eight and 13, regardless of ability or experience, were once again given the opportunity to have a fun and positive experience of sport.

Tata Steel’s Communications Director Sytske Seyffert said: “The Tata – Kids of Steel triathlon series gives children of all abilities the chance to participate in sport and feel the great sense of achievement that comes with crossing the finishing line. We hope to inspire them to lead a more active and healthy lifestyle.

“Tata Steel strives to enrich the local communities in which it operates through its Community Partnership Programme and this is just one of the ways we are investing in the health and wellbeing of future generations.

“Our employees get a great sense of pride from volunteering at the events, and seeing the smiling faces of the kids as they take on the challenge of swimming, cycling and running. We would like to express huge thanks to the many people who have helped us to give almost 7,000 children a chance to take part in this year’s series. Our ambition is to give 100,000 children the chance to participate in Tata – Kids of Steel by 2016.”

This year’s events took place in Corby, Scunthorpe, Workington, Teesside, Wishaw, Sheffield, Mold, Swansea and Newport. The event in Mold, North Wales, proved to be especially popular, with nearly 1,500 youngsters taking part, making it the biggest single event in the series’ eight-year history.

Tata – Kids of Steel events offer an inclusive and accessible opportunity to take part in a mini triathlon. They are delivered by the British Triathlon Trust in close collaboration with local schools and community sports clubs.

Two-time World Champion Helen Jenkins said: “It is brilliant to see that nearly 7,000 children have been given the opportunity to experience triathlon through the Tata – Kids of Steel series this year. It is great to see triathlon continue to grow and the next generation of potential stars given their first chance to enjoy the sport.”

Since the series launched in 2007, Tata Steel and British Triathlon have enabled more than 60,000 children to participate in triathlon, with every child receiving a medal for taking part, in addition to a T-shirt, swim cap and gym sack, in recognition of their achievement.

The events aim to boost confidence and self esteem while giving the youngsters a fun, positive experience of sport. Each child completes a course comprising of a 50m swim, 1,000m cycle and 500m run.

Tata Steel has sponsored the British Triathlon Federation since 2006 and is proud to continue its association as the BTF’s Community Sponsor, supporting Tata – Kids of Steel events that have a positive impact on the lives of young people throughout Great Britain.

British Triathlon President Ian Howard TD added: “It has been another great year for Tata – Kids of Steel, with almost 7,000 youngsters experiencing their first taste of triathlon, thanks to our Community Sponsor, Tata Steel. Youngsters from across the Home Nations have all had the opportunity to become a triathlete, with record attendances in a number of events. I hope their experience will inspire them to continue their involvement within triathlon as a participant or fan of our fast growing and exciting Olympic and Paralympic sport.”

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For further information, contact:

Rob Simpson Tata Steel’s Head of Media Relations

T. +44 (0) 207 717 4404 or E. rob.simpson@tatasteel.com

Tom Goldspink British Triathlon Communications Manager

T. +44 (0) 7795 415 452 or E. tomgoldspink@britishtriathlon.org

About Tata Steel’s European operations

Tata Steel is Europe's second largest steel producer, with steelmaking in the UK and Netherlands, and manufacturing plants across Europe. The company supplies products and services to the most demanding markets, including construction, automotive, packaging, rail, lifting & excavating, energy & power and aerospace. The combined Tata Steel group is one of the world’s largest steel producers, with a steel capacity of 29 million tonnes and 80,000 employees across four continents.

About British Triathlon

British Triathlon is the Governing Body for the sport in Great Britain. It is responsible for raising the profile and delivering elite performance for Triathlon, Paratriathlon, Duathlon and Aquathlon in Great Britain. Triathlon is a fast growing, dynamic and modern Olympic sport with talented world-class athletes, coaches and support staff, focused around delivering world-class events and medal winning performances.

Great Britain is home to the 2012 Olympic Champion (Alistair Brownlee) and bronze medallist (Jonathan Brownlee) as well as numerous current world champions www.britishtriathlonmedia.org/current-world-champions amongst a strong squad of world ranked elite triathletes, and emerging talent from our youth development programmes. British Triathlon enables paratriathletes to deliver world-class success, raising the profile of paratriathlon in the build up to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

There are over 850 triathlon events conducted in Great Britain each year including the British Triathlon Super Series, which attracts athletes from all over the world. British Triathlon is committed to being a leader in environmental awareness in sport, protecting the environment in which we operate today and in the future.

British Triathlon aims to promote excellence in our sport, and create opportunities for everyone to achieve their personal triathlon challenges. www.britishtriathlon.org

British Triathlon is a beneficiary of the UK Sport Lottery funded World-Class Programmes (WCP). The programmes focus on performance sport with the aim of achieving sporting excellence on the world stage. Further information can be found on the UK Sport website at www.uksport.gov.uk.

Visit www.britishtriathlonmedia.orgfor downloadable image galleries, detailed athlete profiles, results, stats and information.

About the British Triathlon Trust

The Trust uses the engaging sport of triathlon to encourage children to become more active, not only improving their health, but also developing their social skills, increasing self esteem and nurturing good habits such as commitment, discipline and respect.

Over 11,500 'active days' delivered in 2013 and targeting over 20,000 'active days' in 2014

Help the Trust by donating at www.britishtriathlontrust.org

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