DOZENS of North-East youngsters will take part in an athletics contest next week to support London's bid for the 2012 Olympics.
In Newcastle, more than 200 pupils will compete in school games on Tuesday to coincide with the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) announcement of the shortlist of cities to host the event.
Barbara Cassani, the chairwoman of the bid, said: "The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is all about getting young people off the sofa, away from the video consoles and on to the track or into the pool.
"It is about giving them more opportunities to participate and motivating them to become the champions of the future.
"We are delighted to support the North-East event, which is giving schoolchildren from the local area a fantastic chance to get involved in physical activity, have fun and get fit."
London is one of nine cities bidding to stage the games, along with Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.
Tomorrow, the IOC will announce the shortlist of cities.
A decision on the games' host city will be taken by the IOC in July next year.
The Newcastle School Games will take place in the city's Centre for Sport, in West Road, from 1pm.
To support the bid, go to www.london2012.org
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