The latest news from the sport feed editors
The 23rd July marked one year to go until the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games following the historic decision to postpone the event until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Team GB has reaffirmed its support for its friends and partners in Japan with the latest iteration of its ‘This is What Makes Us’ marketing campaign, which focusses on the diverse characteristics of the nation’s favourite sports team, as it seeks to bring the nation together in the build-up to and during Tokyo 2020.
‘Tokyo is What Makes Us’ is an open letter to Tokyo; a destination that holds a very special place in the heart of Team GB. In 1964, the city hosted the first Olympic Games to be staged in Asia in an event that symbolised re-emergence and peace. 56 years on, Tokyo represents something just as powerful; a beacon of hope to the world and a celebration of unity.
It’s forty years to the day since the Olympics that nearly never were, writes James Toney.
And for a British Olympic Association official at the heart of one of sport’s most gripping off-field dramas, it still feels like yesterday.
Dick Palmer headed the British team at ten Olympics but the 86-year old’s memories of Moscow 1980 perhaps burn brighter than any other.
Five legends of British sport left those Games with gold medals – Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Daley Thompson, Duncan Goodhew and Allan Wells.
But if it had not been for the steely resolve of an unassuming one-time PE teacher from Pembroke Dock, they’d never have got on the plane.
More words & Images – https://www.teamgb.com/news/moscow-40-years-on-remembering-the-olympics-that-nearly-never-were
International Olympic Committee news
The portal has been created to help further sport’s sustainability goals, by providing a free tool where sustainability resources from the entire sports community can be grouped together on one dedicated platform.
“Today, we can see a growing momentum across the sports community to help the world build a more sustainable future,” said IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell. “With sustainability being one of the three pillars of Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, our aim is to support sports organisations big and small in their sustainability journey. This platform will form an important part of these efforts. We look forward to our continued cooperation with GAISF to ensure that sport is an impactful player in today’s global sustainability efforts.”
The content, which will be regularly updated, ranges from sustainability initiatives from International Sports Federations (IFs) to resources from outside the sports ecosystem, such as guidelines and reports. In addition, a wide range of best practice case studies from sports governing bodies including the IOC also form part of the portal’s content, with more to be added in the future.
The portal also features a calendar section that includes relevant sustainability events and milestones.
GAISF President Raffaele Chiulli said: “Sustainability is at the heart of sport, and will be more important than ever in the post-COVID-19 environment. The creation of this sustainability portal marks an important milestone in our united journey to continue to positively impact society in this area.
“As stewards of our planet’s wellbeing, with so many sports being played in a natural environment, we are particularly conscious of the need to prioritise a sustainable future.
“As the united voice of sports, we felt it was only right that GAISF created a service to help support our members in their incredible efforts to promote sustainability issues. It is our hope that this platform will not only serve the global sports community, but also prove to be an invaluable tool for the wider community.”
Energetic residents across Stockport have ‘actively’ raised more than £3,800 for charity.
The impressive total is the result of generous donations made in sponsorship of those who took part in Life Leisure’s 10 Day Challenge – a ‘virtual’ fitness event set up to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK.
The Stockport based fitness provider came up with the challenge in an effort to support the charity, which has been prevented from hosting its annual Race For Life fundraisers due to lockdown restrictions.
With mass gatherings banned, Life Leisure instead challenged its staff, members and the wider public to jog, walk, run or ride 10km in 10 days, 8km in eight days, 5km in five days or 3km in three days, and post their efforts on social media.
Thanks to their efforts, a massive £3,878 has been raised for the charity.
Ruth Lynch, Head of Health, Fitness and Communities at Life Leisure, headed up the initiative. She said: “It’s been such an amazing event! So many people got behind the idea, set their own specific activity targets and totally smashed it to bring in much needed sponsorship money. We would like to thank everyone who took on our challenge and helped raised such a fantastic sum.
“Lots of charities really depend on sporting events to raise much needed funds, and it’s around now when Cancer Research UK usually holds its Race For Life. We hope this money will go some way toward filling that funding gap caused by the current lockdown restrictions.”
To make a donation go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/r-lynch1
Olympic Bronze medallist Georgie Harland is today announced as Team GB’s Chef de Mission for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
In doing so, she becomes the first ever female Chef de Mission for Great Britain and Northern Ireland at an Olympic Games.
Harland, 42, will take charge of the planning, preparation and execution of Team GB’s participation in the XXIV Olympic Winter Games, taking place from 4-20 February 2022.
A former modern pentathlete, Harland won bronze for Team GB at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the women’s individual event and, following her successful career as an athlete, has been a Sport Engagement Manager at the British Olympic Association (BOA) for nearly ten years.
During her time at the BOA, Harland has acted as Chef de Mission at the 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games in Lausanne earlier this year. She was a Deputy Chef de Mission for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a role which she will replicate for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which has been moved to the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reacting to her appointment, Harland said: “I am so honoured to have been asked to take the role of Chef de Mission for Beijing 2022. I have a deep passion for the Olympic Movement and all it encompasses, and so outside of representing your country as an athlete, which I have been fortunate enough to do, this is the next best thing. Being named as Chef de Mission is a privilege, and I will give everything I can to the role on behalf of all of our winter athletes and sports.”
“The growth and development of Team GB as a winter nation is incredibly exciting, and Team GB’s record-breaking performances in Sochi and PyeongChang are testament to this. I am very much looking forward to the journey to Beijing in 2022 and making it a memorable and successful experience for our athletes and the broader team.”
BOA Chairman, Sir Hugh Robertson said: “This is a very exciting appointment for Team GB. Georgie is a natural leader who brings the insight of an Olympic medallist and has allied it to over ten years’ experience at the BOA. She did a superb job as our Chief de Mission at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne earlier this year.
“I would also like to thank Mike Hay for his outstanding contribution as Chef de Mission for Team GB at the last two Olympic Winter Games. Mike made it known to us some time ago that his intention was that PyeongChang would be his last Winter Games for Team GB, and that he would seek to step down after acting as Deputy Chef de Mission at Tokyo 2020. We are indebted to him for his hard work and leadership.”
Andy Anson, CEO of the BOA, added: “Georgie is an outstanding member of the BOA’s team. She is vastly experienced, both as an athlete and a performance lead in the Olympic environment. She will bring a calm authority to the team and will create a relaxed and focussed environment in which the athletes will be able to perform to the best of their ability. I have seen her close-up in action in Lausanne and have been incredibly impressed with her approach.”
Mike Hay, Head of Sport Engagement and Chef de Mission for Team GB at Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018, commented: “Having been involved in the long-term planning for Beijing for two years now I am confident it is going to be a special Games for Team GB’s athletes. It has been a long-term ambition for us to create a strong succession plan for future Games and I believe this appointment shows that intent, and that there is a depth of leadership talent at the BOA. I have loved my time working for the BOA on both summer and winter Games and would like to thank all of my colleagues and former colleagues for making my time here very special.”
Team GB has joined up with its official charity partner British Red Cross to celebrate kindness during Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 18-24 May.
Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, the official theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is ‘kindness’.
‘Kindness is What Makes Us’ features a host of Team GB athletes from nine summer and winter sports reciting an emotive poem, highlighting the importance of kindness to ourselves and others to support our mental health, especially within the current climate.
The athletes, who between them amass 12 Olympic medals, include: Gabby Adcock (badminton), Becky Downie (gymnastics), Cheavon Clarke (boxing), Liam Heath (canoeing), Tom Mitchell (rugby sevens), Lutalo Muhammad (taekwondo), Helen Richardson-Walsh MBE (hockey), Vicky Thornely (rowing), Beth Tweddle MBE (gymnastics) and Lizzy Yarnold (skeleton).
Presented alongside the Olympians is a series of images that illustrate people within their communities supporting the British Red Cross during the coronavirus outbreak through simple acts of kindness. Through their ‘Kindness Will Keep Us Together’ campaign, people all over the country are stepping forward to help others in their hour of need, and the power of kindness has never been more relevant.
The British Red Cross has set up a free coronavirus support line for people who are staying home and finding it difficult to access food and medication, or feeling lonely or worried, during these uncertain times.
Kindness is What Makes Us is a build on Team GB’s overarching marketing campaign for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, ‘This is What Makes Us’.
The campaign is designed to bring the nation together and celebrates stories of overcoming the odds, courage, diversity and success that belong to the athletes who will represent Team GB next summer after it was recently announced that the Games would be postponed to 23 July – 8 August 2021 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
Full article, links & Images – https://www.teamgb.com/news/team-gb-and-british-red-cross-celebrate-kindness-to-support-mental-health-awareness-week
Initiatives designed to ensure the sustainability of the Tokyo 2020 Games are being carried out based on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games Sustainability Plan.
Those efforts will be detailed in sustainability reports.
Each report will offer specific information with a focus on Tokyo 2020’s initiatives characterising respective phases through preparations for and delivery of the Games.
Sustainability Pre-Games Report
The Pre-Games Report details preparations being made to create sustainable Games, focusing on activities in 2019.
Formulated in April 2020 Sustainability Pre-Games Report (main report) (PDF 23.2MB)
THE PLANNING AND STAGING OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES OFFER THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE NEW SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE NEEDED TO ENT…
The publication, entitled The Olympic Games: A Springboard for Young Professionals, offers suggestions for future and potential Olympic Games organisers on how to put in place even greater youth employment and development opportunities.
“Youth is the lifeblood of the Olympic Games,” says Marie Sallois, IOC Director of Corporate and Sustainable Development. “The Games are a unique occasion for a host to provide its young professionals with significant employment and skills development opportunities. It is imperative that we leverage these opportunities to help as many young people as possible to kick off their professional life.”
The number of young people aged 15-24 currently in employment, education or training has fallen by 15 percentage points in the past two decades to just 22 per cent, according to the ILO. The COVID-19 pandemic could reduce youth employment levels even further
During the Covid-19 lockdown, our athletes daily habits are changing. Some may find it difficult to remain motivated to train at home, some may be sitting down for longer periods of time, and some may just feel a little lost without their coach by their side.
To help with this, we have brought Sports Therapist Aimée Knight on board to create a series of videos to provide athletes (and coaches) with some basic, but much needed exercises to keep their bodies in check throughout this period of being stuck at home and away from the gym.
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Meet our FCN Sports Therapist Aimée Knight
Aimée completed her studies in Sports Therapy graduating with a BSc Hons degree in 2016 and now works in several varying areas of her field including men’s professional football, corporate health & well-being and private physiotherapy practice.
Aimée is one of a very small handful of women employed in men’s professional football in the U.K and is currently involved with Blackpool Football Club where she has been supporting the first team professionals since 2013. Aimée is part of the clubs medical team both during training and home and away fixtures.
Aimée has extensive knowledge and experience across a variety of diverse settings and with patients with a variety of needs ranging from injury rehab, general posture correction and specific sport support. She comprehensively structures well facilitated rehabilitation plans which are individually composed and carried out with patients from early stages right through to return of play.
Aimée has a passion for helping people to achieve their goals, which is the biggest driver of her work.
How Aimee can help you and your athletes
As well as our mini-series of videos, Aimée is also offering direct support to you and your athletes. Below is a list of what she can offer:
Injury advice and guidanceSport Specific Exercise PrescriptionPostural Correction ExercisesSport Specific Mobility ProgrammesGuidance on Creating Specific Home Workout Plans
For the first 10 people who get in touch, Aimée is offering a special discount of £15 off your first consultation – with a costs of only £20 ($25 USD | $35 CAD | $39 AUD)
If you would like to speak further with Aimée or book an online session with her, please email her at info@femalecoachingnetwork.comand include your name, sport and nationality.