Kids given a sporting chance through Sport of Kings Fellowship

The Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation is donating $50,000 to the Oncology Research Unit at The Children's Hospital at Westmead by funding the Sport of Kings Fellowship.

Radio personality Alan Jones will attend the presentation of the Sport of Kings Fellowship at The Children's Hospital at Westmead on Tuesday 24 July. The Sport of Kings Fellowship has been named after the horseracing industry luncheon that has raised funds for the fellowship.

A research scientist, who is working on a cancer gene therapy project, will hold the position being funded by the Sporting Chance Foundation. The aim of this project is to protect bone marrow stem cells from the toxic side effects of chemotherapy using gene therapy.

The Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation was founded by Mark Taylor, Reg Gasnier, Gai Waterhouse and Bob Skilton in 1997. They have established a series of scholarships for Australia's best surgical trainees through the Royal Australian College of Surgeons.

In addition, the Foundation has initiated two new fellowships this year to help fund research into childhood cancer. The Mark Taylor Fellowship was presented to the Children's Cancer Institute Australia in January 2001 and now the Sport of Kings Fellowship to the Oncology Research Unit at The Children's Hospital at Westmead.

The Sporting Chance Foundation uses Australia's widely held love of sport to generate funding, asking for public and corporate support through a series of sports-orientated functions and activities.

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Julie Stromborg
Public Relations Officer
Ph: (02) 9845 3580
Fax: (02) 9845 3567
Pager: (02) 9845 0000 and quote page no. 6920