Cirencester lad is winter ambassador (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Cirencester lad is winter ambassador

A CIRENCESTER teenager will go on the trip of a lifetime when representing the nation's youth at the Winter Olympics in Turin.

The British Olympic Foundation has chosen Lee Clatworthy, 16, of North Home Road, to be one its four ambassadors at the games, which started in the Northern Italian city last Friday.

Along with Tyne and Wear's Laura Burt, East Sussex's Alex Berwick and Northern Ireland's Sara-Louise McLaughlin, Lee will go on an all-expenses-paid visit to Turin between Wednesday, February 22 and Sunday, February 26, as part of the British Olympic Foundation Youth Challenge.

Apart from watching ice-skating, curling and other sports, they will visit British athletes in the Olympic Village and attend the closing ceremony with Team GB.

The young VIPs, who will be chauffeur-driven everywhere, will take virtually nothing with them because practically everything has been provided, including warm-weather-gear, ski-wear and Team GB-clothing.

At each winter and summer games, the Olympic Foundation in every competing country picks four youngsters to be its ambassadors.

The aim is to give them an insight into the Olympics, thus enabling them to teach other youth about the games.

Britain's Foundation wrote to the 120 schools holding sports college-status nationwide asking staff to nominate students as ambassadors.

These included Cirencester King's Hill School where director of sport, Matt Pauling, nominated Lee because of the way the youngster helped run classes, clubs and numerous other activities.

Among 48 nominees from whom 12 were short-listed, Lee also completed the worldwide Dreams and Teams programme that unites youngsters in the competing nations and which, in Britain, the Foundation runs with the Youth Sport Trust.

Having already visited Thailand, Singapore and Australia, he developed relationships with counterparts in France and India.

It enabled him to link the three things he is most passionate about - sport, travel and leadership.

Lee and the other three chosen from the short-list underwent interviews and team-building exercises at London's Olympic House.

After returning from Turin, he will attend King's Hill assembles to give talks about his experiences that he hopes will help inspire the generation of British athletes who will compete at London's 2012 Olympics.

The ex-pupil at Cirencester's Victoria Road School wants to be a professional footballer or P.E. teacher.

A promising goalkeeper, he has played for Cheltenham Town's youth team.

The Manchester United-supporter presently represents Cirencester United and Cirencester Town under-18s and trains with Town's senior squad.

Lee, who played rugby for King's Hill, is in the first of five years of P.E. studies at Hartpury College, Gloucester.

He said: "It was a massive shock to be chosen. I don't think it will sink in until I'm on the plane. I feel privileged and I'm excited. To see the closing ceremony, which they always say is better than the opening ceremony, will be my highlight. I'm never going to forget that."

Lee, who has a 13-year-old brother called Adam, is also secretary of Cirencester Skittles League which is run by his father, Neil Clatworthy, who said: "The family is very happy. It's a big achievement."

His mother, Sallie Clatworthy, said: "I'm extremely proud of him.

"This experience will be something he will treasure for the rest of his life because it's a one-off. He will never get this opportunity again."