Salto welcomes Lord Coe to Lisburn

Pictured during Lord Coe's visit to Salto Gymnastics Centre is Wallace pre-preparatory pupil, Evan Dorritt, demonstrating his vaulting skills to Lord Coe, with Cllr Thomas Beckett, Lisburn City Council and Mayor, Alderman William Leathem. Picture by Brian Thompson/ Press Eye

Lord Coe, in his appointed role of Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Advisor to the Prime Minister, was welcomed to the club on Tuesday.

Lord Coe, along with Dame Mary Peters, Salto Management and staff including Tony Byrne, the Mayor, Alderman William Leathem and Chairman of Lisburn City Council’s Leisure Services Committee, Cllr Thomas Beckett, watched as local primary school children undertook their usual weekly gymnastic lessons.

A meeting was also held in order to update Lord Coe about the interest in gymnastics and its popularity in the City, sport in Northern Ireland and Lisburn as a designated European City of Sport.

Mr Tony Byrne Salto’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is not the first time Lord Coe has come to Northern Ireland to visit Salto National Gymnastics Centre. Our relationship dates back some 10 years ago when Lord Coe visited our old facility in Dunmurry. During this visit he made a deal with me that if he won the bid for the Olympics and I got a new facility he would return to visit.

“Well he got the Olympics and I got our new facility.

“Lord Coe returned to Northern Ireland again to officially open the new facility on 8th November 2007 and I am delighted to be meeting him again.”

Lord Coe said: “I’m delighted to be back at the Salto Gymnastics Club to see all the fantastic work you’re doing here. It’s great that the investment which enabled your facility to be a Games time training venue continues to benefit the local community in legacy, and to see local schools participating in sessions where the gold-winning Men’s Gymnastics team from China prepared for the Games. I’m also delighted that there’s been renewed interest in Gymnastics amongst young people in the UK and here in particular, following the success of Team GB’s Men’s bronze medal winning team last year. In my new role as the Prime Minister’s Legacy Ambassador I’m keen to ensure that the 2012 Games and their legacy continue to benefit the whole of the UK and its residents, and this facility and the work you’re doing is evidence of legacy in action.”

The Mayor of Lisburn City Council and Chairman of the Leisure Services Committee, Cllr Thomas Beckett, both greeted Lord Coe. Cllr Beckett said: “We are really pleased that in this our European City of Sport year that Lord Coe, who is credited with so much of the success of the London 2012 Olympics has come to Lisburn.

“We intend to do as much as we can to promote sport and sporting choice across the City and we will welcome any advice or assistance Lord Coe can provide,” he said.

Alderman William Leathem, Mayor of Lisburn City Council, said: “Today’s visit showed the remarkable popularity of this club and we hope Lord Coe will look to the future of sport and its progress in Northern Ireland.

“As Lisburn is a designated European City of Sport it is to the future that we also continue to look to benefit citizens and to further sport in Lisburn,” he concluded.

Salto Gymnastics Club hosted the Olympic Gold Medal Winning Men’s Chinese Gymnastics Team prior to the London 2012 Olympics, as one of the designated Training Camps in Lisburn City last year.

The City of Lisburn has been designated as a European City of Sport for 2013 and Lisburn City Council is keen to maximise the Lisburn legacy in order to further develop sporting choice strategically and through its facilities and through sporting clubs.