To coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of Team Ireland competing in the Winter Olympics, and on the back of the hugely successful Olympic Schools Challenge last summer, the Olympic Federation of Ireland has launched a new Road to Beijing campaign for schools.

The free online challenge will run from the 4 – 20 February, the same timeline as the Games in Beijing, and will bring students on an interactive journey from Ireland to China, celebrating winter sports, Team Ireland and the Chinese culture on the way.

Schools can create teams, and as the classes long their physical activity, it is converted to a distance on an interactive map which helps them move from Ireland to Beijing, passing Chamonix and Innsbruck en route, and unlocking videos and activities on the way.

Road to Beijing is part of the OFI’s Dare to Believe Programme and aims to open up the world of winter sports to Irish school children as well as teaching them about Team Ireland at the Winter Olympics and celebrating the Chinese culture.

The 10,000km challenge is modelled on the last summer’s Road to Tokyo which saw 55,000 school children get more active while also learning about the wider benefits of sport and the Japanese culture.

“Inspired by the success and feedback from our Road to Tokyo challenge received, we were excited to recreate the magic and evolve our Olympic School Challenge website and curriculum to coincide with the Winter Olympics in Beijing,” said Roisin McGettigan- Dumas, Creator of Dare to Believe.

“Students and teachers will be fascinated to learn about the life of Winter Olympians and be inspired to get active themselves by trying out the snow sport PE lessons and games. In addition, students will enjoy the variety of classroom cultural activities & crafts and we can’t wait to see their creations.”

 

Sport for Business Perspective:

“This programme is a great example of how the thrill of a major sporting event can be a window on how children, of all ages, can learn more about a lifestyle, a sporting universe and a culture, that is outside of their normal experience.”