Great Britain Triathletes Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee were in Sheffield today to launch the 2010 British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Championships which will be held in the Yorkshire region from the 10 – 14 March 2010.

Alistair and Jonathan who were both born in Yorkshire and currently study at neighbouring universities in Leeds were delighted to be able to lend their support to the BUCS Championships which will see 6,000 athletes compete across 26 sports.  The BUCS Championships, is supported by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency for Yorkshire and the Humber.

“University sport has played and continues to play a massive part of mine and Jonny’s sporting development, so we are pleased to be supporting the BUCS Championships” said 21 years old Alistair, the older of the two siblings.

Jonathan continued “Yorkshire is a special place for us, having been born and raised in the region and now going to university in Leeds.  I am delighted to hear that the Championships are being held up here for the third consecutive year.  Yorkshire has some of the best sporting facilities and outdoor space in the UK so it is an ideal place to train and compete.”

The Brownlee brothers are excelling on the domestic and international triathlon scene as they aim for the 2012 London Olympics – and at the same time creating one of the most interesting sibling rivalries for years.  Alistair was crowned 2009 ITU Triathlon World Championship whilst younger sibling Jonathan has swept all aside at a junior level after becoming the 2009 Australian Youth Olympics Champion and European Junior Triathlon Champion.

“We are both delighted with our recent progress as we build towards 2012.  I love the fact that Jonny is progressing so well through the ranks and I can’t wait to compete alongside him regularly.  The sibling rivalry is healthy, we take a lot of energy from each other and are always pushing each other further” said Alistair.

Karen Rothery, Chief Executive of BUCS is delighted to have Alistair and Jonathan supporting the event.

“What two better people to have involved - Yorkshire men, both attending university in Leeds and great role models on balancing academic and sporting commitments.  We are absolutely delighted they have been able to be involved in the Championships.”

Bramall Lane has also been added to an already impressive list of venues and Rothery is sure that this year’s event is going to be bigger and better than last year.

“Yorkshire really works for us in terms of its world-class facilities.  There’s a huge amount of fabulous venues here, like the EIS, Ponds Forge, Don Valley Stadium and not to mention Bramall Lane.  There’s also been a fantastic legacy left after the World Student Games in 1991 which has allowed fabulous high quality sport to be played.”

The new BUCS mascot, Brian the Lion, was also launched today at the Sheffield Big Wheel, and he was joined by a variety of other local Sheffield mascots.

ENDS

Editor’s notes

Rights-free images are available, please contact Sarah Jenkins 07766 366 351 (sarah.jenkins@fasttrackagency.com) for more information.

Advertising and sponsorship opportunities are available.  For more information please contact Siôn Williams (020 7633 5088) or for more details go to www.thebucschampionships.co.uk

The BUCS Championships take place on 10 – 14 March 2010 in Sheffield, Yorkshire. The event is supported by Yorkshire Forward, Sheffield City Council and Nike.

About BUCS
British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national organisation for higher sport in the UK. It represents 150 universities and colleges and manages the development and competition programme for 50 sports. For more information visit www.bucs.org.uk or join our facebook page at www.facebook.com/bucs

Yorkshire Forward

Yorkshire Forward is the Regional Development Agency behind the economic regeneration of Yorkshire and Humber. It aims to make a positive difference by investing in jobs, improving towns and cities, and in supporting businesses throughout the region. Yorkshire Forward’s investment across the region is maximised by attracting European Regional Development Funding.