A big weekend of sport in England's north west

14 June 2002

Come and see top class athletics, bowls, hockey and mountain biking this weekend at Manchester 2002 venues.

The City of Manchester Stadium makes its bow as top class athletics is staged in Manchester

Whilst events in Japan and Korea may grab the attention of many football fans this weekend, much closer to home, the North West is offering up some mouth watering live alternatives for sports fans to feast on.

More than 20,000 people are expected in the City of Manchester Stadium for the first major test of the flagship Commonwealth Games venue at the Aqua Pura Commonwealth athletics trials.

For the two top English athletes in each event, years of preparation will pay off as they achieve the ultimate goal of selection for the biggest multi-sport event ever held in the UK.

Members of Crew 2002 will be working in Games mode testing certain aspects of this summer’s operation, while spectators will try out park and walk facilities and get their first opportunity to feel the atmosphere of the magnificent £110million stadium.

Three other Games venues are also offering up great sporting action. At Belle Vue’s new international hockey pitches supporters can catch England, Ireland, Scotland and India battle it out as players look to cement their place in Commonwealth Games squads. At Heaton Park the best of British clash in a quadrangular home nations bowls tournament and in Rivington, Lancashire, England’s top mountain bikers have been invited to race for the first time on the full Commonwealth Games course.

Residents around these venues should expect changes to traffic flows in these areas with some road closures and an increased number of vehicles from spectators moving around sites and accredited vehicles heading towards the venues. Spectators should allow plenty of time to arrive at Games venues this weekend just as we are advising them to do at Games Time.

With so much on offer this weekend, athletes, spectators, media and Crew 2002 can all feel well prepared for what’s to come in just six weeks time.