Hold winners’ parade in Yorkshire, urges Richard Caborn

He is to write to the BOA stressing the role Yorkshire has played in the feelgood factor sweeping the nation.

The county has produced five Olympic champions over the last seven days, four more who have won medals, and at one stage would have been in the top 10 in the medal table.

Homegrown stars like Jessica Ennis, Alistair and Jonny Brownlee and Ed Clancy have produced some of the biggest stories of the Games and Mr Caborn believes it should not be London, but in Yorkshire, where the British medallists are feted.

“Yorkshire has made a huge contribution and the BOA should recognise the region that has made the biggest contribution, so let’s take it away from London” said Mr Caborn, who was sports minister for six years from 2001 and a Sheffield MP from 1983 to 2010.

“This success has not come about over the last two days. It is because we invested heavily in sport.

“It all stems from the World Student Games in 1991. We put £170m into that, with Don Valley Stadium, Ponds Forge and the Sheffield Arena built for it.

“Lottery funding didn’t come in until later that decade. In Sheffield we had already chosen sport as an economic driver.

“The World Student Games provided the infrastructure. And Carnegie (Leeds Metropolitan University) was renowned around the world as a place to come and learn sport.

“As well as that it now has leading sport science degrees. And at the English Institute of Sport (Sheffield), about £70,000 per athlete being invested.”

As chairman of the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) Mr Caborn will be at ringside at the ExCel Arena this afternoon to see if Leeds boxer Nicola Adams can become the latest Olympic champion from Yorkshire. The 29-year-old is guaranteed at least a silver medal.

As well as the investment made, Mr Caborn believes an inherent passion for sport is a contributing factor.

“It comes about because of our love of sport,” he said. “Yorkshire is the home of a lot of sports people and it’s not just footballers, cricketers and rugby players.

“Jessica Ennis broke three personal bests in winning the gold medal in the heptathlon. That’s not a coincidence, she’s got a bloody good coach (Toni Minichiello) who pushes her all the way.”