Young Londoners took to the water for Kayak Sprint and Slalom competitions on Saturday 31^st July as part of the London Youth Games 2021 season.

For the first time in the history of the London Youth Games, the Kayak event was held at Fairlop Waters in Redbridge. Speaking about the venue, Event Organiser Sam Keegan said “I love this place; I think it’s fantastic. As with all these places it’s the staff that make it wonderful”. Also, LYG Board Member and Redbridge Councillor Joyce Ryan complemented the facilities on offer in Fairlop, “The facilities here are fantastic, we are just so lucky to have this available to us and the young kids competing”.

The London Youth games has provided a high level of competitive sport for young athletes across the London Boroughs for over 40 years and after a disruptive last 18 months the importance of the games may have never been higher. “At the moment it’s desperately important, they’ve had such a rough time these last 18 months,” said Mayor of Redbridge Councillor Roy Emmet. “They’ve been studying from home and haven’t been able to get down here and I can just imagine how much fun they will have today”.

The importance of the games for young Londoners was also highlighted by Oliver, a young Kayaker from the Borough of Tower Hamlets, “I do it so I can socialise with other people and be a part of something”.

In the Kayak Sprint competition, Tower Hamlets claimed gold, Kensington & Chelsea won silver and Greenwich bronze, while in the Kayak Slalom competition Bexley won gold, Bexley took home silver and Tower Hamlets bronze.

The London Youth Games has been using the power of competitive sport to create life-changing opportunities for young Londoners for over 40 years. It has provided a pathway for some of the greatest athletes to come from the city. Dina Asher-Smith, Raheem Sterling, Alex Scott, David Weir and Mo Farah all had the opportunity to represent their boroughs growing up.

Having been forced to cut short its 2020 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, London Youth Games is delighted to be back delivering live sport for young Londoners at a time when they need it most.

Visit www.londonyouthgames.org to find out more.