Judy Murray backs Youth Games bid

Nov 27 2012

The mother of Britain's number one tennis player has said bringing the Youth Olympic Games to Glasgow would be a "phenomenal source of inspiration" for the next generation of sports stars.

Tennis coach Judy Murray has thrown her backing behind the city's bid to host the 2018 Games and said it could help to encourage young people to follow in her son Andy's footsteps.

Murray had his most successful year to date in 2012, winning Olympic gold and silver medals in London, as well as lifting his first-ever grand slam trophy at the US Open.

Ms Murray said having the Youth Olympics in Glasgow, which is already gearing up to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, would be an ideal way to build on the success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

She said: "If Glasgow is successful in its bid then I am sure there would be a massive interest from the public, particularly from schools and teachers to get our kids involved.

"It would be great for young people to see kids of a similar age performing at a very high level in an event that is almost in preparation for the Olympic Games and that has a huge buzz around it.

"For us in Scotland we have two years to capitalise on that in the lead-up to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games to ensure we engage our kids in sport as much as we possibly can.

"Added to that, the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 would be a great showcase for young sporting talent and would help inspire our own kids."

The other cities bidding to host the 2018 Games are Buenos Aires (Argentina), Guadalajara (Mexico), Medellin (Colombia) and Rotterdam (Netherlands).

During a recent visit to Glasgow, Ms Murray praised the city's commitment to upgrading tennis courts in public parks, as part of its investment in developing sport at "grassroots levels", adding: "Glasgow has a huge population and it is great that Glasgow City Council has got behind tennis in partnership with the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association)."