Raising a family and being an elite athlete should not be mutually exclusive. Having a child dramatically changes your life, and for many parents can give a new meaning too. It is a key milestone in life to be celebrated.
To ensure support is provided for athletes who wish to have a child whilst a member of a high-performance funded programme, UK Sport has developed pregnancy guidance with the mother and child’s welfare at the heart of it.
UK Sport recognises the responsibility as a distributor of public funding to ensure that SGBs - a term used to describe both National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and Home Country Governing Bodies (HCGBs) - owe Athletes a duty of care and it is important that their wellbeing and performance are managed effectively during pregnancy and post-childbirth. UK Sport has created two separate guidance documents, for both SGBs and Athletes.
The aim of this guidance is to advise how to best support an Athlete’s pregnancy fairly and appropriately, providing recommendations to support an Athlete during their pregnancy, and for when they return to training and competition post-childbirth. Pregnancy and post-childbirth can be physically and mentally challenging for a mother and it’s essential that resources and guidance are available to the SGB and the Athlete to best support them and their partner.
UK Sport has an ambition to grow our thriving sporting system and we are looking forward to working with everyone in the high-performance community in implementing this guidance and providing world-class services to athletes.
Pregnancy Guidance for Athletes
View Guidance
View Guidance [Accessible Format]
Pregnancy Guidance for Sports
View Guidance
View Guidance [Accessible Format]
Useful Appendix Items
Appendix A – Pregnancy Risk Assessment for SGBs
Appendix K – Athlete Pregnancy Checklist
To view contributors to the pregnancy guidance for athletes and sports click here.
Please note that all documents listed above will continue to be reviewed and updated as necessary.
UK Sport would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this guidance over an extensive consultation period.
Should you have any feedback on the guidance and/or appendices, please contact pregnancyguidance@uksport.gov.uk.
UK Sport commissioned research with Loughborough University into athletes’ experiences of pregnancy, with the aim of providing further guidance about how athletes should be supported through pregnancy and post-childbirth. Please find this here.