Future of Shropshire sporting event that inspired modern Olympics under threat
The Shropshire sporting event that inspired the modern Olympic movement may have to move out of its hometown where it has been held for more than a century - due to a deteriorating running track.
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This weekend, the climax of the 138th Much Wenlock Olympian Games takes place at the athletics track at William Brookes School, where competitors from all over the UK, and sometimes the world, come to compete at the historical games.
The Much Wenlock Olympian Games began in 1850 as the brainchild of Dr William Penny Brookes.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the International Olympic Committee, visited the games in Much Wenlock in 1890 before setting up the first modern Olympic Games six years later in Athens.
Each year, the Olympian Games holds a host of events including fencing, archery, badminton as well as live arts, but the highlight of the games each year is the track and field athletics that are held on the sports ground of William Brookes School.
However, this year's athletics events, which are being held this Sunday and are set to be opened by Much Wenlock Olympian president and Olympic triple jump gold medallist, Johnathan Edwards, could be the last track and field events to take place in their historic home, due to the deteriorating state of the running track.
Helen Clare Cromarty, vice president of the Wenlock Olympian Society, said the track no longer adheres to professional official standards, and needs around £200,000 to bring back up to scratch.
