A guide Brought to you by for international media Edition 2 – March 2013 Tower Bridge London visitbritain.com/media Contents Quick facts about British Sport .............................................................................................................. 2 Sport is GREAT why? ............................................................................................................................. 3 Key Events 2014: Commonwealth Games ........................................................................................... 6 Key Events 2014: Tour de France grand départ in Yorkshire ........................................................ 8 Key Events 2014: Ryder Cup ................................................................................................................... 11 10 great golf courses ............................................................................................................................... 12 Key Events 2013 & 2015: Rugby world cups ...................................................................................... 14 Olympic Legacy......................................................................................................................................... 16 Football enjoying the beautiful game in Britain ............................................................................. 18 ...........................................................................20 All eyes on centrecourt tennis in Britain ......................................................................................... 21 itional game ........................... 23 Motorsport ................................................................................................................................................ 25 see and be seen. Oh, and see some sport too ...................................................... 26 Thrillseeking in Britain extreme sports to test your nerves ...................................................... 29 Run around Britain: marathons and more ......................................................................................... 31 Accessible sporting activities ............................................................................................................... 34 Weird, wacky and wonderful ................................................................................................................. 36 Second edition, March 2013. Editor: Rmishka Singh [email protected]. Contributors: Will Hide and Stephanie Siegle. Please direct all enquiries to [email protected] Quick facts about British Sport Did you know? Scotland is the home of golf the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews, an hour north of Edinburgh, was founded in May 1754. Read about the Ryder Cup and 10 great golf courses on p11. Rugby originated in 1823 when a pupil at Rugby school, William Webb Ellis, picked up the ball during a game of football and ran with it instead of kicking. Thanks to him it and the world! Find out about Rugby World Cups on p14. Although the term 1863 that the game was codified in London 150 years ago this year. See p18 to find out more about football in Britain. ! Read his tips on what to do in Britain on p20. The Ashes trophy, which is so hotly contested in the world of cricket, is just 155mm tall. Read more about cricket on p23. The Epsom Derby i with winnings of £1.25m but you can have a bet from as little as £2. The Queen and Prince Philip usually head over. Read about it on p26. Surfing was invented in Britain! The sandy beaches of Bridlington in North Yorkshire were where two Hawaiian princes studying in 1890 took to riding on the waves with homemade boards. Read about where to do it, and other extreme sports, on p29. Vail, Verb Britain Scotland has five ski resorts alone. See p29 for info. There are numerous accessible sporting activities in Britain, from circus-skills to flying an aeroplane. See p34 for details. August is the month for indulging your eccentric side in Britain. You can gravy-wrestle, snail-race, bog-snorkel and race a train if you fancy. See p36 for a calendar of odd sporting events. Sport | 2 Sport is GREAT why? Sport is woven into the fabric of British life. Children kick a football around in the park on Saturday mornings. 60,000 fans scream support in a stadium while millions watch around the world. A genteel game of village cricket unfolds on a Sunday afternoon. The national anthem is sung in Welsh before a game of rugby in Cardiff. Glamorous ladies totter in high heels at Ascot as racehorses thunder by. Friends throw a few darts in the pub after work. A breeze stirs the flags as golfers tee off on the Old Course at St Andrews. Strawberries and cream slip down nicely amid the thwack grunt thwack of tennis at Wimbledon. To understand Britain and the British you need to understand its sports. Britain invented or codified a number of sports including football, rugby, cricket and golf. Venues such as Wembley, Lords, Old Trafford, Brands Hatch and now the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are synonymous around with the world with top Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park; home of the London 2012 Olympics and the future of east London, thanks to the transformation it is currently undergoing. Available at www.visitbritain.com/media Shanghai, Sydney or Seattle but imagine great sporting event in Britain for yourself. What do you want your sporting experience in Britain to be? Settle back and watch, or choose to play? Go mainstream and enjoy a sport followed by millions or think along more specialist lines can enjoy worm charming, pea shooting, cheese rolling and bog snorkelling, many of which go well with a pint of beer from the local pub. World Class events up and how you can create a story around the action. Rugby League World Cup 2013 The Rugby League World Cup tournament takes place across 22 venues in England, Wales, Ireland and France, kicking off at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 26 October and reaching its dramatic climax at Old Trafford, Manchester on 30 November. The sport is traditionally strongest in th that part of the world, which is home to vibrant cities and beautiful countryside. See p 14 for more info and story ideas. www.rlwc2013.com Sport | 3 Commonwealth Games 2014 The Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow from 23 July 3 August 2014, and will feature 17 sports from aquatics to wrestling. amazing architecture as well as some of the most imaginative galleries and museums in Britain, buzzing nightlife, top class cuisine and local base from which to explore central and western Scotland, The Commonwealth Games are coming to Glasgow spectacular countryside and the opportunity to next year. Available at www.visitbritain.com/media breathe in clean air and of course the aroma of Scotch whisky. To find out more about the Commonwealth Games see p 5. www.glasgow2014.com Tour de France 2014 Next year the start of the Tour de France cycle race le Grand Départ will be from the northern city of Leeds on 5 July, moving on the next day to the historic walled city of York before heading south. (Both are a two-hour train ride from London). Why not arrive? The Dales, the North York Moors and the Wolds are three stunning areas there are ups as well as downs to unwind in and chat to some colourful characters. While in the area you can also check out a more hip, urban scene in Sheffield, Leeds or Bradford with a guided cycle tour. Cyclists going past York Minster which Tour de France competitors will do next year during its See p 7 for more info on the Grand Départ and cycling Grand Départ. Available at routes in Britain. www.visitbritain.com/media Ryder Cup 2014 In September 2014, the 40th Ryder Cup the biggest golf tournament there is comes to wi 40 years that the tournament has been held in Scotland, the home of golf. This event gives you the opportunity to discover a gorgeous part of the country, the heart of the whisky industry. Search out smaller courses situated near distilleries around the lovely town of Perth and the up-and-coming city of Dundee, future home of the first Victoria and Albert museum outside London. For more information regarding the Ryder Cup and golf in Britain see page 11. www.rydercup2014.com, www.gleneagles.com Sport | 4 Rugby Union World Cup 2015 me, and in Wales will be used too. Before the action starts check out some of the cities hosting matches, such as Newcastle, Liverpool and Cardiff. See page 14 for more details on rugby in Britain and the World Cup. www.rugbyworldcup.com Be part of the game The Premier League is the most popular football league in the world and nothing beats football, Britain. Watch a match, take a tour of one of the famous stadia (post match!) at the new National Football Museum in Manchester. VisitBritain has some great interviews with high profile international players in the Premier League, as well as tickets to stadium tours on the VisitBritain shop. Learn all about footy at the National Football Museum in Manchester try a penalty shoot-out See p 17 for the lowdown on enjoying football in s shoes! Available Britain. on www.visitbritain.com/media If you want to experience a quintessential part of summer life across England, then whisper it quietly but just enjoy the pageantry and the tradition. You could take a tour of Lords cricket ground in London or spend a Sunday at a village in the countryside. See page 20 for more info about cricket. Weird and wonderful While established sports such as football and rugby attract thousands of people