Blenheim to Host European Transplant and Dialysis Games

The UNESCO World Heritage Site will be the venue for cycling, the 5km mini marathon and petanque.

Running from 21^st – 28^th August, the Games feature a week of multi-sport competition amongst over 400 solid organ transplant recipients and kidney dialysis patients from over 25 countries across Europe.

“We are very much looking forward to welcoming athletes from across Europe as part of the games,” said Heather Carter, operations director at Blenheim Palace.

“Blenheim provides a stunning backdrop for what I am sure will be some incredibly exciting and competitive events and I am sure our visitors will be cheering all the athletes on across each of the three days.

“Both the cycling and mini marathon will be taking place in the evening around the estate, while the petanque will be in the magnificent surroundings of the Palace’s Great Court she added.

Other events will take place at Radley College, which is also the venue for the Games Athletes’ Village.

The Games have been brought to Oxford by Transplant Sport, the UK charity raising awareness of the life-saving benefits of organ donation and the importance of staying active post-transplant. The event will open on Sunday 21^st August with a parade and opening ceremony held at the iconic Sheldonian Theatre.

First staged in Athens in 2000, the event has subsequently been held bi-annually in nine different European countries. We’re excited to be involved in hosting The Games this year, the first time they have come to the United Kingdom.

The Games is being organised by the team from the Oxford Transplant Centre at Churchill Hospital. Approximately 300 patients from across the south and midlands receive life-saving transplant procedures at the centre each year. It is the largest pancreas transplant centre in Europe and one of only two centres in the UK transplanting small bowels.

Access to the events is included with an Annual Pass, Palace, Park & Gardens or Park & Gardens tickets. Visitors can also convert their tickets into annual passes at no extra cost so they can enjoy more than just one day out at Britain’s Greatest Palace.

For more information and to book tickets online visit www.blenheimpalace.com

Read more B4 Business News here

Join our LinkedIn Page