As the nation celebrates Team GB’s inspiring performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, winning over 60 medals for the fourth consecutive games, the search has officially begun to find the next generation of UK sporting talent.
UK Sport, has launched Find Your Greatness, a campaign aiming to identify future Team GB or ParalympicsGB stars from across the nation.
Targeted at active and sporty 16-24-year-old UK nationals, including those with physical, visual or intellectual impairments, applications are now open until 14th October 2024. With 39% of Brits aged 18-24 thinking they could make Team GB at the LA 2028 Games, this is an opportunity for some of those dreams to become a reality.
The campaign is seeking young athletes for a range of disciplines, including skeleton, cycling (track, mountain biking, BMX freestyle and BMX racing), rowing, modern pentathlon, weightlifting, climbing, shooting, volleyball, handball, and all para sports.
Previous UK Sport athlete recruitment campaigns have produced an abundance of success stories across the Olympic and Paralympic Games, such as rowing champion Helen Glover, skeleton gold medalist Lizzy Yarnold, taekwondo silver medalist Lauren Williams and Para-Canoe double Paralympic champion, Emma Wiggs.
The launch event, held at Graystone Action Sports in Salford, saw British athletes past and present, including Nathan Hales, Erin McNeice, Rhianna Parris-Smith and Emily Muskett - who have either experienced an athlete recruitment programme themselves, or are currently competing in the sports involved in Find Your Greatness, sharing how their dreams of becoming an Olympian or Paralympian became a reality.
Regional testing for Olympic sports will take place in October, November and December in Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Swansea, with Paralympic regional testing scheduled in Crawley in October, Sheffield in November and Liverpool in February.
Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport, commented: “In my time as both an athlete and as Chair of UK Sport, I’ve been fortunate to witness the impact of athlete recruitment campaigns in discovering stars of the future, but also the wider value and skillsets it can bring to participants.
“The UK is a successful Olympic and Paralympic nation, and it’s through athlete recruitment campaigns like Find Your Greatness that we can stay relevant on the global stage. This campaign goes right to the heart of communities, providing opportunities for youngsters who may not have had a chance to experience these sports before, and encourages teachers, mentors and coaches to identify extraordinary talent. They really have a chance to be the catalyst for the youngsters to apply.
“I can’t wait to see the talent that we unearth throughout this campaign, and to follow them on their journey to greatness. There’s so much potential out there, we hope people have the drive and confidence to put themselves forward to see just how far they can go.”
Stephanie Peacock, Minister for Sport, Civil Society and Youth said: “Team GB and ParalympicsGB performances this summer will no doubt help inspire young people to take up sport, and this Government is working to improve opportunities so that our emerging talent has the best chance to succeed wherever they are from.
“Creating new, accessible pathways to increase participation is vital to our nation’s sporting future, so UK Sport's Find Your Greatness programme is a fantastic chance for the next generation to try new sports and see if they can become the next Keely Hodgkinson or Jonnie Peacock."
Ellie Aldridge, formula kite Olympic gold medalist at Paris 2024 added: “I owe so much of my success to athlete recruitment programmes like Find Your Greatness. When I applied in 2018, I never could have guessed the path that I was starting out on. Now, here I am having achieved gold Paris 2024.
“Every athlete has their own personal journey - who knows how far you can go and where you might be in six years’ time, but if you never take that leap of faith, you may never find out. Even if you don’t make it to the podium in an Olympics, the experience is so valuable - you can learn so much about yourself and what potential you have.
“I couldn’t recommend this programme more, so I urge those that think they have the potential or know others that do, to just go for it!”
British Skeleton Performance Director, Natalie Dunman, said: "Our experience tells us there are people out there with the potential to be Olympic or Paralympic champions, but they may not have had the opportunity to connect with the right sport or have the necessary support network to succeed.
“Find Your Greatness is all about connecting young people with raw sporting talent to an opportunity to reach their full potential.
“We're very excited to help launch Find Your Greatness - British Skeleton have found Olympic and World Champions through campaigns like these, we know the next great British sporting talent is out there, and we are very much looking forward to the opportunity to help these individuals take their first step on the road to the Olympic Games”
To find out more about the Find Your Greatness athlete recruitment programme visit: findyourgreatness.co.uk