Homepage

We use cookies to track and analyse visitors to our website

These cookies help make the website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation. They are necessary for our website to function and cannot be switched off.
These cookies gather information to understand how visitors interact with the website, such as how many people are using our website of which pages are popular to help us improve user experience. Switching off these cookies will mean that we cannot gather information to improve the user experience.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by a third party provider whose services we have added to our website. Switching off these cookies mean that areas of our website cannot work properly.

Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient.

The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site.

For all other types of cookies we need your permission.

This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages.

You can at any time change or withdraw your consent from the Cookie Declaration on our website.

Learn more about who we are, how you can contact us and how we process personal data in our Privacy Policy.

Skip navigation
  • About us
    • Our Directors team
    • Our Board and panels
    • Strategic plan 2021-31
    • Annual reports
    • Our funders
    • Who we work with
    • Tenders
    • Contact us
  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Learning and development
    • Protecting and Transforming Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Leadership and governance
    • Coaching
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Aquatics
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Bobsleigh
    • Boxing (Amateur)
    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
    • Goalball
    • Para-Archery
    • Para-Athletics
    • Para-Badminton
    • Para-Canoe
    • Para-Climbing
    • Para-Cycling
    • Para-Equestrian Dressage
    • View all
  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
    • Organisational Health
    • Para performance strategic framework
    • Board minutes
    • Complaints and whistleblowing
    • Eligibility
    • Fraud, corruption and bribery
    • Transparency and open data
    • HR policy templates
    • Pregnancy guidance
    • Reports and research
    • The Whyte Review
  • Jobs in sport
    • Working at UK Sport
    • Explore career pathways
    • Find jobs in sport
    • Advertise sport jobs
  • About us
    • Our Directors team
    • Our Board and panels
    • Strategic plan 2021-31
    • Annual reports
    • Our funders
    • Who we work with
    • Tenders
    • Contact us
  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Learning and development
    • Protecting and Transforming Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Leadership and governance
    • Coaching
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Aquatics
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Bobsleigh
    • Boxing (Amateur)
    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
    • Goalball
    • Para-Archery
    • Para-Athletics
    • Para-Badminton
    • Para-Canoe
    • Para-Climbing
    • Para-Cycling
    • Para-Equestrian Dressage
    • View all
  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
    • Organisational Health
    • Para performance strategic framework
    • Board minutes
    • Complaints and whistleblowing
    • Eligibility
    • Fraud, corruption and bribery
    • Transparency and open data
    • HR policy templates
    • Pregnancy guidance
    • Reports and research
    • The Whyte Review
  • Jobs in sport
    • Working at UK Sport
    • Explore career pathways
    • Find jobs in sport
    • Advertise sport jobs
Popular content on our site
Prepare to “Find Your Greatness” as search for UK's future athletes gets underway The National Lottery operator Allwyn launches ChangeMakers fund for athletes as they make a difference back home Breadth of success targeted as British Olympic and Paralympic performance aspirations confirmed for Paris Investing in sport Strategic plan 2021-31
News

New research shows British public support athletes speaking out and driving social change

Published 8 March 2023

The British public overwhelmingly supports athletes using their platforms to speak out about social issues and advocate for change, according to new research published today by UK Sport.  
 

 

The research also reveals that half (48%) of young Britons see female athletes as role models, together with huge demand for increased media coverage of women’s sport. More than half (53%) of adults under the age of 55 say that there is not enough coverage of women’s sport and 60% of all adults are in favour of sports coverage combining men’s and women’s sport.  
 
Building on the
Powered by Purpose programme, which helps athletes use their platform to inspire, facilitate and enable positive change, UK Sport’s Chair, Dame Katherine Grainger, has reiterated the organisation’s commitment to support athletes who want to champion issues and causes that they care passionately about.  
 
Highlights from the research include:  
 

  • Two in three UK adults (66%) believe that athletes have a role to play in championing causes they believe in and raising awareness of social issues  
  • There is huge demand for increased media coverage of women’s sport amongst the British public, with more than half (53%) of UK adults under the age of 55 saying that there isn’t enough media coverage of women’s sport.  
  • Half (48%) of 18-24 year olds and 45% of all Britons under 40 see female athletes as role models, demonstrating the rise of female athletes as prominent leaders in society, especially amongst younger generations.  
  • 7 in 10 Britons feel that there is more representation of female sports, presenters and sports pundits on TV today than previously, with 60% in favour of sports coverage combining men’s and women’s sports.  
  • Almost a third of UK families now follow a specific sport after being inspired by a female athlete.  
     

Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport, said:  
 
“The power and reach of elite women’s sport provides a vital and powerful platform to open up conversations about wider societal issues and contribute to positive change. It is fantastic to see the British public behind our inspiring athletes who want to make an impact and inspire change both on and off the field of play.  
 
“Athletes should feel able to stand up and champion issues and causes that they care passionately about, confident that the British public and UK Sport – as well as other organisations across sport – will support them.  
 
“We are living in exciting times and it’s encouraging to see female athletes smashing so many of the barriers that have previously denied them the recognition they’ve  deserved. Our sportswomen are incredible, inspirational athletes, just like their male counterparts. The suggestion of women’s sport being somehow less impressive or less newsworthy must end, and that means equal coverage in the media as a prerequisite instead of female athletes being expected to show gratitude for piecemeal changes or glacial progress.  

 
“The sporting landscape is unrecognisable today compared to a decade ago, and we want to support athletes to inspire positive change and create greater awareness of social issues far beyond medals and their sporting achievements. We are committed to winning well, and that means using the power and platform of sport to have a positive impact on society and inspire change.  
 
Eilish McColgan, Commonwealth 10,000m gold medallist, said:

“The positive reaction to my decision to start a conversation about the impact of periods and my menstrual cycle on my training and performance was really heartening. 
 
“Sharing my own experience with women both in sport and across society, listening to other people’s experience and hopefully encouraging other people to speak out is one of the best things I ever did. 
 
“I would encourage any athlete to speak out and use their platform. Opening up conversations about important issues helps us all to learn, grow as people and athletes and has a positive impact far beyond the track.  

“It is really encouraging to see that the British public so strongly support athletes who want to champion important causes and speak out about issues they feel strongly about, and I know that younger athletes will feel more confident in sharing their experiences.” 

 
Phoebe Paterson-Pine MBE, Para archer and gold medallist in individual compound at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, said: 
 
“The recent success of the Lionesses and the rise of women's football has been so influential in changing how football is perceived in the country, and I am thrilled to see the media covering women's sport more.  

“It’s really encouraging to see that the British public are keen to see more equal coverage of sport and more coverage of women’s sport. We need to build on this momentum – there are so many brilliant, inspiring female athletes out there whose stories and achievements will inspire the next generation of Olympians and Paralympians.” 
 
Ruth Mwandumba, World Class Programme shooter and double English Shooting Champion, said: 
 
“As more athletes are finding their voices and speaking out on social issues, it is really encouraging that the British public clearly support athletes who want to champion the important causes that we care about. 
 
“For me personally, I am focused on trying to improve diversity and inclusion in shooting so there are more black shooters across the British shooting community and at an elite level. It is important for athletes to have the backing of national governing bodies and UK Sport in our efforts to use the power of sport to inspire change across wider society, giving athletes the confidence that we will be supported. 
 
“Across British sport and all over the world we are going to see more athletes speaking out and making a stand to drive positive change and that can only be a good thing for sport and wider society.” 
 
Georgia Holt, Para-cycling tandem pilot and a member the UK Sport Powered by Purpose pilot cohort, said: 

“The research speaks for itself – women's sport is in high demand and so it should be. Female athletes have so much to offer, like breaking World Records while on our periods and speaking out about the issues we face on a daily basis.  

“If young girls can relate to a female athlete about the issues they’re facing then this will positively impact them and even inspire them to take up a new sport or stay in sport for longer and reap the rewards of confidence, community, health, skills and maybe even a career!” 

 

Share
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

News

Participants of the UK Sport Athlete To Coach programme taking part in a fireside conversation
UK Sport launches new programmes to support coaching across the high-performance community
21 May 2025
Headshot of Professor Nick Webborn CBE
Professor Nick Webborn CBE appointed new Chair of UK Sport
19 May 2025
Decoration image with the logos of UK Sport and Weirdo
Transforming fan experience: UK Sport introduces new engagement strategies for Olympic and Paralympic sports
15 May 2025
Looking to work in sport?
Find or advertise sports jobs in the UK
Search now
Our funders
  • Funded by UK Government
  • TNL partners
Who we work with
  • British Olympic Association
  • Paralympics GB
  • Logo of the UK Sports Institute
  • Sport England
  • Sport Northern Ireland
  • Sport Wales
  • Sport Scotland
  • Logo of the British Elite Athletes Association
  • Logo for UK Coaching
  • Logo of Sport Resolutions
Sitelogo
Sitemap
  • Homepage
  • About us
  • Our work
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
  • Resources
  • Jobs in sport
  • Website terms and privacy policy
  • Editorial policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility
  • Freedom of Information
  • Welsh language scheme
  • FAQs
Contact
UK Sport
6th Floor
10 South Colonnade
London
E14 4PU
E: info@uksport.gov.uk
T: +44 (0) 20 7211 5100
Follow us
Twitter Youtube Instagram LinkedIn

© Copyright UK Sport 2025