Visit London has launched a new sports section on their main website dedicated to all the latest news and information on everything sports-related taking place throughout the capital.

‘Sport in London’ (http://www.visitlondon.com/sport/) will focus on four main areas; London’s Sporting Calendars, Get Active, Sporting Venues and London 2012, and will provide a unique resource for visitors seeking information on sports events and activities in London.

The dedicated site has been created as a response to increasing interest by visitors attending major sporting events, and visiting some of the world-class sporting venues in the city. The site also addresses the growing popularity for tourists and Londoners themselves to get more active and involved in some of the great outdoor activities available in the capital.

The site has been motivated by Visit London’s Events for London team, which is the organisation that has been tasked with attracting, growing and developing major sporting and cultural events in London. Events for London, was created in 2007 and is a partnership between the Mayor, Visit London, and the London Development Agency.

It has been tasked to help event organisers and sponsors to maximise the impact, audience and benefits of holding major sporting and cultural events in London.

Visit London’s calendar of events features a whole host of unique sporting events which are to take place in London in the coming years, including, Barclays ATP World Tour Final in 2009 at The O2 Arena, the ICC World Twenty20 England 2009 to take place at The Oval and Lords and the Artistic Gymnastic World Championships to be held at The O2 Arena in October.

Visit London’s website currently receives 1.3 million unique users each month and is a vital resource for tourists and residents to obtain news and information on everything taking place in the city. The additional section will see the Visit London offer extended, allowing them to search through a calendar of sporting events, book tickets; enter competitions and sign up for sports-related newsletters.

The area will also feature a section on 2012 which will enable visitors to obtain information on developments taking place in relation to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Sally Chatterjee, Interim CEO of Visit London said of the new site:

‘As we see an increasing amount of world-class sporting events taking place in the capital, there has never been a better time to launch a site dedicated to sport in London. London has some of the best sporting facilities in the world, and this site enables us to raise the profile of these world famous attractions, as well as providing visitors with the resources necessary to take advantage of some of the unique facilities and numerous open spaces that the city has to offer, and get active themselves.’

For more information please visit http://www.visitlondon.com/sport/

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For more information contact:
Chloe Couchman
Business & Major Events PR Manager
Visit London
6th Floor,
2 More London Riverside, London SE1 2RR, UK

Tel: +44 (0)20 7234 5727
Fax: +44 (0)20 7234 5751

Editors Notes:
All events can be seen on the website but other events taking place in London in 2009 and included on the website are:
• London Grand Prix Athletics 2009
• The return of NBA Europe Live
• NFL Game return 2009
• ICC World Twenty20 England 2009
• World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
• Barclays ATP World Tour Final in 2009 and 3 subsequent years

Visit London
Visit London is the official visitor organisation for London. A leader in best practice destination marketing, Visit London promotes the UK capital internationally, across Britain and to Londoners targeting leisure and business visitors. Visit London works in partnership with the Mayor of London, the London Development Agency, London Councils and the tourism industry. For broadcast-standard video of London, please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/visitlondon

Events for London
Events for London is the UK capital’s official major events team. Created in 2007, Events for London is a partnership between the Mayor of London, the London Development Agency and Visit London and is tasked with attracting, developing and staging major sporting and cultural events. Events for London acts as a central point of leadership and expertise to develop the capital as the world’s leading major events destination and is delivered by project teams within each of the partner organisations. Visit London’s team leads on strategic planning, bid development and leveraging events for the capital. Events for London is one of the first legacies of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.