The International Children’s Games (ICG 2022) Opening Ceremony is sponsored by Heart of England Community Foundation and Wesleyan Foundation.
The ceremony will take place at the Assembly Festival Gardens in Coventry’s city centre on Friday 12 August 2022, starting at 7pm and feature a range of acts and performances from local groups and organisations.
All 73 cities from 31 counties will be able to enjoy the spectacle in the Assembly Festival Gardens along with partners and sponsors.
Performing arts groups including Freeman Dance School, Ascension Dance and Off Balance Dance along with more special guests to be revealed soon will be putting on a show for the athletes as we welcome all 1,500 of them from 11-16 August.
The athletes aged 12-15 years will be competing against each other in seven sports.
ICG 2022 partner, CV Life, will be delivering the Opening Ceremony, sponsored by Heart of England Community Foundation and the Wesleyan Foundation.
The Heart of England Community Foundation supports community activity across the West Midlands and Warwickshire, working with donors who want to invest their money at a local level. Since 1995 the Foundation has invested over £32 million supporting over 10,000 projects.
The Wesleyan Foundation launched in 2017 and has awarded over £4.3 million to good causes across the UK, supporting more than 100,000 people. Charities and causes are selected by the mutual’s members and aligned with four key pillars – health and wellbeing, education, innovation and social development.
Cllr Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader, Coventry City Council and Chair of International Children’s Games Stakeholder Board, said: “What a great venue this will be for our Opening Ceremony. It will be the perfect setting for our athletes in the heart of the city and a venue that already holds so much legacy for Coventry.
“I’m also really pleased to announce the sponsorship from Heart of England Community Foundation and the Wesleyan Foundation for the ceremony. A huge thank you to both organisations. I know the organising team along with all of the acts and performers will make the city proud. I very much look forward to watching it and being emerged in the whole International Children’s Games experience.”
Morgan Preston – Freeman Dance, Jacob Ayre – Community and Citizenship Officer, Wesleyan, Tina Costello – Chief Executive, Heart of England Community Foundation, Cllr Abdul Khan – Deputy Leader, Coventry City Council and Ruby Barnacle – Freeman Dance.
The Assembly Festival Gardens brings sport and culture together after the site was used as part of the city’s UK City of Culture 2021 status.
Tina Costello – Chief Executive, Heart of England Community Foundation and Jacob Ayre – Community and Citizenship Officer, Wesleyan, said: “At Wesleyan Foundation and The Heart of England Community Foundation we are passionate about children having access to high quality education, and events that support their wellbeing.
“Sponsoring the International Children’s Games’ Opening Ceremony not only provides a fantastic opportunity for the Children and competitors involved but will also help to inspire other children to get into sport in Coventry. We are very excited about the start of the Games on 11 August.”
Prior to the ceremony start, the athletes will head to the Cathedral Ruins before parading around the city centre streets and finishing in the Assembly Festival Gardens where they will be welcomed by the official International Children’s Games Committee, Coventry Ambassadors, coaches and sponsors.
Wendy Jackson, CV Life Community Development Manager, said: “CV Life is delighted to be organising the ICG 2022 Opening Ceremony alongside Coventry City Council and event organisers, MLS. We can’t wait to showcase the talent Coventry has to offer and kickstart the Games in style.
“The venue is brilliant, and we are so lucky to have our Opening Ceremony sponsors on board to help make this happen, both for the young people of Coventry and the hundreds of athletes from around the world that will be competing in our city.”
Keep updated on the International Children’s Games by following ‘@coventryicg2022’ on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.