LONDON /Christian News/ — Athletes taking part in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will have access to free copies of the Bible and Scripture portions, thanks to an initiative by Bible Society.

Available as a welcome gift in the Olympic Village Religious Services Centre will be around 3,000 copies of commemorative English-language Scriptures. There will also be nearly 1,000 copies of Bibles and New Testaments available in a variety of other languages through partnerships with national Bible Societies around the globe.

Matthew van Duyvenbode, Head of Advocacy at Bible Society says: ‘The Bible offers words of deep consolation, inspiration and challenge, themes that resonate with athletes from around the world. Having the opportunity to offer the scriptures in a format accessible for sports people is a strong statement that the Bible belongs at the heart of every aspect of life.’

The Bibles provided in English will be ‘The Sports Good News Bible’ and ‘The Sports Good News Gospel of Luke’. Both contain specially commissioned articles written to help sportspeople consider the relationships between sport and faith.

In order to meet the anticipated demand, Bible Society has launched an appeal as part of its ‘Bible: Body & Soul’ initiative for 2012. To support this initiative go to Olympic Bibles Appeal.