Roads in Coventry set to close this Friday for Olympic-style event

[dutchman]

Around 1,500 athletes are coming to the city for the International Children's Games



Several roads in Coventry city centre will temporarily close this Friday (12 August) so a parade for an Olympic-style event can take place. The procession is for the private opening ceremony of the International Children's Games which will be held from 13-15 August.

73 teams of athletes from 31 countries will be welcomed to the city for the games, which Coventry last hosted in 2005. Children aged between 12 and 15 years old will battle to win medals for their city and take part in seven different sports.

Venues include The Alan Higgs Centre, Broadgate, University of Warwick and Coventry University - and anyone can turn up to watch without tickets. For the event on Friday, Bayley Lane will shut from 6.45pm at the point where it crosses Earl Street and Cuckoo Lane. 'STOP' boards will be in place when the parade is ready to cross Earl Street.

Little Park Street is also set to close at 8pm at the junction with Salt Lane, with charging and parking bays suspended. This is so that coaches can be loaded safely. All roads will re-open by 10pm, the council said.

The ceremony is sponsored by Heart of England Community Foundation and Wesleyan Foundation and will start at 7pm in Assembly Festival Gardens. Councillor Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader at Coventry City Council, said: "We are elated to be hosting this year’s International Children’s Games – especially so soon after a fantastic Commonwealth Games in the region.

"The young athletes taking part will hugely benefit from this. Not only the buzz in the air and the spotlight on sport, but the athletes are staying in the same accommodation as the Commonwealth Games athletes did and are even using some of the same kit.

"The basketball 3 x 3 equipment is what was used in the Commonwealth Games, and it’s fantastic that our ICG athletes get to use this. As we come to the end of what has been a fantastic summer of sport, I encourage residents of Coventry to head to the ICG sports venues to support these young athletes."

More information on the games can be found here: https://www.coventryicg2022.org/schedule