Coe visits Olympics’ birthplace

The man in charge of organising Britain’s 2012 Olympics has paid tribute to the quiet Shropshire town where the modern games were born.

Lord Sebastian Coe visited Much Wenlock yesterday to see for himself the place where Dr William Penny Brookes resurrected the Olympic dream in 1850.

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The double gold medal-winning athlete hailed the town as the “home” of the modern games and said he had wanted to visit after hearing about it from legendary triple jumper Jonathan Edwards.

During his visit, he was given a tour of Linden Fields, the venue for the annual Wenlock Olympian games, and met budding young athletes from William Brookes School.

He was then taken to the Town Hall where he spent a few minutes looking through the archive of Dr Brookes’ comprehensive records of the Wenlock Olympians and his correspondence with Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

Baron de Coubertin set up the modern Olympic movement after being impressed with the pageantry and competitive spirit at the Wenlock Olympian games during a visit in 1890.

Lord Coe said he had been impressed by what he had seen during his visit to the town which was part of a day-long tour which also took in schools in Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.

“Much Wenlock is effectively the home of so much of the thinking and the philosophy behind the modern Olympics,” he said. “What I’ve been impressed with during my visit here and to the other schools is the massive amount of activity going on in local communities ahead of 2012.

“When you speak with the youngsters, all they want to talk about is 2012.

“Although it’s being held in London, the games are for the whole country and it’s not just about sport, it’s about culture.

“It’s about linking sport, culture, education and the arts and I think if Dr Brookes had been around today he would have recognised the same ethos in the games he started in 1850.”

Giles Birt, chairman of the Wenlock Olympian Society, described Lord Coe’s visit as “fantastic” for the town.

“It’s a great opportunity for Much Wenlock and the region to extend and enhance the town’s Olympic story,” he said.

“There’s an awareness of Much Wenlock and people want to see it for themselves how the history rolls out and how Dr Brookes fits into the story.”

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