Fire-breathers, a cheerful mascot, cool BMX tricks, a performance by Junior Eurovision Song Contest winner Luna Sabella and, above all, lots of sports fun; the conclusion of the ASML Zomerspelen in the Jan Louwers Stadium was a true spectacle! For six weeks, children (aged 6-18) from the Brainport region were given the opportunity to try 24 different sports. As many as 1,200 children enthusiastically took part in the ASML Zomerspelen.

Fuelling the fire
‘There are children in the Brainport who cannot go on holiday, to prevent them from being bored and to have an activity for them too, we organised the ASML Zomerspelen,’ says Anke Hagemeijer, programme manager for Social Engagement at ASML. She continues: ‘The ASML Summer Games is about playing sports together and having fun. We want to kindle the fire in children and get them excited about sports and exercise.’ Because, over 500 children watched on the FC Eindhoven turf as BMX rider Tom van den Bogaard ignited the flame after a number of spins and wheelies, thus starting the sporting finale of the ASML Zomerspelen.

Besides being a torchbearer, Van den Bogaard is also present as an instructor at the BMX activity. The children hurtle down the ramp without fear. He visibly enjoys the interaction with the group: ‘I think it's cool to show my sport. Children often don't even know that some sports exist. This also applies to BMX. It is important for children to see what else is out there. I used to play football myself initially, but I discovered that a team sport didn't really suit me. There will undoubtedly be children who feel the same way. Instead of them then stopping playing sport altogether, thanks to the ASML Zomerspelen we can show them that there are so many other options.’

A godsend
On the side of the assault course, mothers Romina and Inge are watching their children. ‘We did not go on holiday this year so it is very nice that there are initiatives like the ASML Zomerspelen. It's good that children can now see what sports there are in an accessible way,’ says Romina. Inge: ‘My daughter plays hockey three times a week and then it becomes difficult to try something else. The ASML Zomerspelen was really an outside chance to get acquainted with other sports.’

It doesn't stop there
Director of BrabantSport Michel Reinders says he is immensely proud of what BrabantSport, ASML and More2Win have achieved together with affiliated partners: ‘We set ambitious targets for ourselves and we achieved them. We wanted to reach 1,000 children this edition and that number is higher. Another goal was for participants to discover many different sports; on average, each child was introduced to 5 sports.’ The BrabantSport Fund and ASML aim for long-term impact. Michel Reinders: ‘We got children moving for six weeks. It doesn't stop there for us. The goal is for children to keep playing sports and if, for example, the contribution to join a club is a problem, we will make sure, together with ASML, that there is a connection to the right bodies, such as the Jeugdfonds Sport & Cultuur.’ Large-scale impact is also the aim.