Nothing brings people together quite like sport, and nothing brings people together from all over the world quite like the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was in fact the inspiration of the London 2012 games that encouraged Tannery Drift School to seek out links abroad, and through Link Ethiopia, it is now linked with Salem Elementary School in the Gondar Region.
Now whilst the ‘Schoolympics’ didn’t quite gather people from all over the world, it did bring children in years 3-6 in Royston area together, with over 350 children taking part in the event. Needless to say, Tannery Drift chose to represent Ethiopia at the event. In true Olympic tradition there was an opening ceremony and parade for all the competing athletes, and many of the schools from the area could have been forgiven for not instantly recognising the Ethiopian flag!
That said, Ethiopia does have a proud sporting tradition, and this certainly rubbed off on Tannery Drift, even if not in the area of Ethiopia’s traditional strength – distance running. Instead, Tannery Drift were successful in winning the silver medal in both cricket and BMX, and won the gold medal in the hockey tournament. The event was hugely successful and enjoyed by all involved, and a few more people in the Royston area know about Ethiopia and its sporting heritage than they did before!
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