County games are set to begin

Thursday 9th July 2009, 11:29AM BST.

Shropshire will create its own sporting stars this weekend when the county plays host to the 123rd Wenlock Olympian games.

The games – which were founded by Dr William Penny Brookes in Much Wenlock in 1850 and are widely regarded as the forerunner to the modern Olympics – have attracted more than 1,250 entries from athletes from as far afield as Norway.

This year also marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Penny Brookes who originally launched the games to “promote the moral, physical and intellectual improvement” of Much Wenlock residents.

The four-day event will start tomorrow and run until Monday. Helen Cromarty, one of the organising committee, said: “This is a really special year for us as it is our founder’s bicennential year.”

Several Olympians will also attend the sporting festival including former Shropshire athlete Robbie Brightwell MBE.

View more: Much Wenlock news.