Ohuruogu signs up as Youth Games patron

By Simon Hayes on January 14, 2010 10:17 AM |

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Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu has been unveiled as the official patron of the 2010 Balfour Beatty London Youth Games.

The 25-year-old Newham & Essex Beagles athlete is lending her support to Europe's largest annual youth sport event, which sees over 47,000 participants from the 33 boroughs competing in 30 different sports.

Ohuruogu, who lives in Stratford, represented Newham in netball and athletics at the Games when she was a teenager and she was delighted to be involved again.

She said: "I am really happy to be patron of the 2010 Balfour Beatty London Youth Games. It is an event which holds a lot of fond memories for me.

"When I was a youngster, the games were always one of the highlights of the year. It was always very competitive, but also lots of fun too. There was always a great spirit among your team-mates and healthy rivalry between each of the boroughs.

"It was a really rewarding experience in my early days in sport and I know it continues to be a massively popular event right across the city."

Ohuruogu, who also won the World title in 2007, will be aiming to defend her Commonwealth Games crown in Delhi in October as she builds towards the Olympics in 2012.

The Balfour Beatty London Youth Games are funded by Sport England to help deliver a lasting Olympic and Paralympic legacy of increased participation and to nurture talented athletes.

For more on the Games visit londonyouthgames.org.