JOIN THE PATH TO PARIS

BF members and partners are invited to join the Path to Paris: the campaign by Team GB and ParalympicsGB helping to get young people and their families active in the lead-up this year’s Olympics.

This year, the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place in Paris. To mark this occasion, Get Set (the official youth engagement programme from Team GB and ParalympicsGB), is on a mission to get children aged 5-11 and their families more active with their new virtual challenge – Path to Paris. Schools, community groups or families can set up teams for children to take part – and everyone can join in with the fun alongside them, completely for free!

We all know how important it is to get children to become more active. Research has shown clear links between how active children are and the state of their mental wellbeing, even down to how much they are able to concentrate and their levels of self-esteem. Path to Paris provides a fantastic opportunity to bring positive change into all aspects of children’s lives, all while bringing families, school communities, and wider communities together.

BF invites members of our community to join the Path to Paris, helping young people and their families to get active. Schools and delivery partners as part of our We Are Forging Futures educational and personal development brand are also invited to get involved.

Harry Brown, BF National Partnerships & Engagement Manager, said,

“As the National Governing Body for fencing across the six home nations, we are excited to be able to play a pivotal role as we lead up to the world-famous, inspirational Olympic and Paralympic games to empower communities via this Path To Paris campaign and promote physical activity through the creative world of swordplay.”

The challenge begins in Athens, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. From there, children will embark on a virtual journey around the world in a team bus, completing fun activities as they explore different places on their way to the Paris Games. Every physical activity logged will earn kilometres to power their virtual team bus to its final destination.

As well as getting active, children will learn about athletes and their sports, the history of the Games, and can also win incredible prizes as they complete the Path to Paris. The prizes range from sports equipment to support them to get and stay active, posters and stickers to help them track their progress, and even exclusive school visits from Olympic and Paralympic athletes!

Team members might also get shout outs on social media from athletes, or win awards for their outstanding achievements, whether individually or as a family.

Path to Paris uses a gamified approach designed to inspire and excite children to take part and keep moving. There are lots of motivational activities and videos to encourage them to stay active and build healthy habits, and in doing so, power their virtual team bus to Paris before the start of the Games .

Jamie Piggins of Team GB said,

“The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will inspire the nation, with the best British athletes providing incredible performances on the global stage. The Path to Paris programme will allow young people from across Great Britain and Northern Ireland to feel closer to these unforgettable moments by taking part in physical activity, meeting inspirational athletes, and learning more about the Olympic and Paralympic movement. Team GB hopes to contribute to the health of the nation, so we are delighted to see Path to Paris launch and look forward to the positive impact it has.”

David Clarke OBE PLY, ParalympicsGB CEO, said,

“We’re proud to be part of Path to Paris, and believe it will encourage and inspire all children and young people to embrace a more active lifestyle, whatever activity it is they enjoy. We’re excited that as part of this programme there will be a focus on disabled children and their families helping to inspire and support them to take part in more physical activity. We think it will have significant social impact across the country, as children embrace the values of the Paralympic Games, build active networks with their families and communities, and form regular habits so they continue an active lifestyle long after the 2024 Games are over.”

Get your young fencers involved now, so you’re ready to begin your journey to Paris! Learn more: www.getset.co.uk/pathtoparis

Start your journey before 31st May 2024 to be in with the chance of winning a Team GB and ParalympicsGB goody bag. Terms and Conditions apply. See here: Competition Ts and Cs British Fencing

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