PRINCE HARRY HOSTS A RECEPTION FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF SPORTS STARS AS PRESIDENT OF THE SCHOOL GAMES

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Prince Harry celebrated Britain's next generation of sports stars when he invited talented youngsters who achieved success in the inaugural School Games to a reception at Clarence House.
His Royal Highness is President of the School Games in which nearly 2,000 schoolchildren had the chance to compete in four main Olympic venues, before the start of the Games.
Prince Harry met a group of the winning athletes at a reception at Clarence House, in central London, and urged the promising youngsters to aim for success at the next Olympics in Brazil.
In a speech The Prince said: "Because of your achievements, you have become role models - not just for your friends at school but for the next generation of British athletes.
He also poked fun at Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt's incident during the Olympic bell-ringing last week, when the bell he was ringing broke off and flew through the air.
"I urge you to pick up the torch - or, in Jeremy's case, the bell - and I expect to see your faces again when you stand on the podium at Rio and beyond."
Prince Harry said he hoped one of the legacies of London 2012 would be for Olympic athletes to "inspire future generations to take up sport".
He added: "Every one of you here today are now the leaders of that legacy, whether you like it or not."
Prince Harry then joked: "Hopefully you'll grow and grow and grow and become very famous and we can beat China."
British weightlifter Zoe Smith and sprinters Darren Campbell and Jason Gardener, who both won Olympic gold in Athens in the 4x100m, joined the young athletes and their families at the event.
The first School Games finals saw 1,600 elite young athletes gather in May to compete at four Olympic venues - the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre, the Velodrome and the ExCeL Centre.
The event was designed so that both able-bodied and disabled young people could take part.
Prince Harry spoke with promising sprinter Jermaine Hamilton, who won gold in the 200m and 4x100m at the School Games.
The Prince joked with the 16-year-old that he may be able to run the 100m in "seven seconds" after witnessing the achievements of teenage swimming sensation Ye Shiwen.
Shiwen, who is also 16, has stormed to two Olympic titles at London 2012, including the 400m individual medley where she swam the final 50m faster than American swimmer Ryan Lochte in the men's race.
Speaking to young athletes at Clarence House, Harry said: "We saw the Chinese girl and she knocked off five seconds (from her personal best). Apparently teenagers can do that."
He turned to Jermaine and added: "You will be running in seven seconds!"
Jermaine, from Chingford, North East London, who is currently volunteering at the Olympics, later said that meeting The Prince was a "great experience".
He said: "Harry's a really friendly guy. He said he was looking forward to seeing me in 2016."
Former athletes Darren Campbell and Jason Gardener introduced The Prince to some of the young athletes and said they were hopeful for a new generation of British sprinters to challenge for future Olympic golds.
Jason admitted British sprinting was currently "not in the best place" but said young athletes such as World Junior Champion Adam Gemili could challenge in the future.
He said: "Sprinting has moved on and the bar has been raised. We need new talent coming through so I'm really looking forward to see how he progresses."
Darren said he hoped London 2012 would encourage youngsters who succeeded in the School Games to aim to compete in future Olympics.
He said: "It's now for one of these youngsters to grab the opportunity. They've had a taste of what a sports event is all about. They've then witnessed the greatest show on earth. Now they have to ask themselves the question; how much do they want to take part in it?"

Source:
http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk
Posted by Mr. MS at 11:50 AM

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