GIRLS4GOLD

Girls4Gold Ambassadors - Victoria Pendleton and Shelley Rudman

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THE SEARCH IS ON FOR ATHLETIC GIRLS WHO HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN OLYMPIC GOLD

UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport (EIS) are searching for highly competitive sportswomen with the potential to become Olympic champions in cycling and other targeted Olympic sports (bob skeleton, canoeing, modern pentathlon, rowing and sailing) in time for London 2012. Girls4Gold is the single most extensive female sporting talent recruitment drive ever undertaken in Great Britain.

To apply for Girls4Gold applicants must be female, aged between 17 and 25 years old, competing in any sport at county/regional level, fit, powerful and strong, mentally tough and competitive and up for a once in a lifetime opportunity to become part of Britain’s sporting elite

The ultimate aim of Girls4Gold is to unearth exceptional female talent capable of achieving medal success in London in 2012. There are numerous British female World and Olympic medallists who have specialised in a new Olympic sport at a relatively late age, going on to achieve medal success in short timeframes. These include:

• Shelley Rudman: a former track hurdler, who won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in bob skeleton, less than four years after trying the sport for the first time aged 21.

• Annie Vernon and Anna Bebington: rowing medallists at the 2008 Olympic Games, five years after being selected through a talent identification scheme (ARA’s World Class Start Programme, sponsored by Siemens) aged 20 and 19, respectively.

• Rebecca Romero: a former medal winning Olympic rower who transferred to the sport of track cycling aged 26 and became Olympic Champion in 2008, less than three years after taking up the sport.

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

Applications for Girls4Gold for 2008 are now closed.
Following the tremendous success of Team GB at the recent Beijing Olympic Games, the Girls4Gold team has received over 1300 applications.
Following the final Phase 1 Talent Assessment event on Sunday 12 October 2008 the UK Sport/EIS Girls4Gold team, in partnership with the six Olympic Programmes (Cycling, Bob Skeleton, Canoeing, Modern Pentathlon, Rowing and Sailing – Windsurfing) will be systematically assessing each individual participant’s Phase 1 testing results alongside their athlete profile. Those meeting Phase 2 standards will be invited to a sports specific Phase 2 Olympic Talent Assessment event in one or potentially several sports over the next five months.
All first round applicants have now been contacted via post informing them of the expected Phase 2 timeline. A copy of this letter can be downloaded by clicking here. We appreciate you will be eager to find out whether or not you have been selected for Phase 2 in one or more of the targeted Girls4Gold sports. Our immediate task is to ensure that each participant’s profile is carefully assessed by our team of sports scientists and Olympic level coaches – ultimately to ensure no stone is left unturned in our search for potential medal winners in London 2012, Sochi 2014 and beyond. We appreciate your patience over this period.
A fact sheet of frequently asked questions can be downloaded by clicking here.