As the nation gears up to celebrate another inspiring performance by Team GB athletes at the Paris 2024 Paralympics the search has officially begun to find the next generation of UK sporting talent.
UK Sport, the UK’s high performance sport agency, 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 October 14, 2024.
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 Para-Canoe double Paralympic champion, Emma Wiggs.
Regional testing for Paralympic sports will take place in Crawley in October, Sheffield in November and Liverpool in February.
“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,” said Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport.
“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.”
To find out more about the Find Your Greatness athlete recruitment programme and how you can get involved, visit: https://findyourgreatness.co.uk/
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