Social Impact Moments from 2023
By Josh Saydraouten & Matt Wookey, Social Impact Managers from UK Sport
It’s been an action-packed year for British Olympic and Paralympic sport; we’ve had a bumper year of major events hosted across the country, numerous quota spots secured for Paris 2024 and the first set of athletes have been announced for Team GB for Paris.
This success on the world stage gives high-performance sport in this country a unique platform from which to drive positive, meaningful, and lasting change to people, the planet, and communities. And we’re pleased to say we’ve had some fantastic examples of this materialise over the last twelve months.
In no particular order and from the Social Impact Team here at UK Sport, here’s a look back on ten of these moments:
1. Tess Howard – Inclusive playing kit regulations
What started out as a university dissertation, researching if gendered school sports uniform plays a role in the high drop out rates of teenage girls in sport, Howard's campaigning led to both England Hockey and the Federation of International Hockey implementing and launching new inclusive kit regulations.
The England and GB Hockey star also launched Inclusive Sportswear CIC, a community interest company to develop inclusive sportswear policies and guidance for schools, clubs, sport organisations and brands.
2. British Triathlon – Endurance 2040+
British Triathlon is one of the pioneers of UK Sport’s new environmental sustainability support for National Governing Bodies. Recognising the unique role it plays within swim, bike, run and its reliance on the natural environment, British Triathlon undertook a leadership role and has been a catalyst for change with other Olympic and Paralympic sports.
This role has enabled the organisation to develop and publish its sustainability strategy, Endurance 2040+.
3. Expansion of dementia-friendly seated gymnastics programme
Following the success of British Gymanstics Foundations’ Love2Move programme in Liverpool, linked to last year’s 2022 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, the programme has been expanded into Birmingham, linked to the 2023 World Trampoline Gymnastics Championships.
The dementia-friendly seated gymnastics programme, which has been proven to benefit patients living with dementia positively is now being rolled out in Birmingham and the West Midlands. The Championships has supported 16 people to train as Love2Move facilitators and will support them to deliver the programme in various settings locally.
4. Powered by Purpose
In partnership with the True Athlete Project, we celebrated the first cohort of the Powered by Purpose programme with great success. This programme was created after a consultation found that 86% of athletes on the world class programme want to use their platform to make a difference to society whilst they are still competing. The programme that lasted 6 months ensures that athletes develop as people as well as performers.
All participants said they now had greater confidence to make a difference on social issues, felt equipped with tools and resources to address social challenges, and believed their enhanced strengths would enable them to make a social impact.
In the autumn of this year, we launched the second cohort featuring 21 athletes from an array of sports.
“It’s so encouraging to see that many athletes genuinely want to use their platform and influence to make a difference to social causes that matter to them." said Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport
5. Badminton England – BE Green recycling
Launched during National Recycling Week, Badminton England in partnership with StreetGames announced a new pilot equipment recycling project; BE Green.
BE Green will see old racquets and shuttles used by their athletes recycled, repaired (if needed) and then donated back into the local community, allowing disadvantaged young people in Milton Keynes and Sheffield to improve their wellbeing by taking part in Badminton.
Paralympic bronze medallist Krysten Coombs said: “I’m proud to be part of the BE Green project supporting Badminton England to become a more sustainable organisation and increase the awareness of wellbeing in sport.”
6. Daniel Powell – GNR8 Academy
Visually impaired Judo athlete (Judoka), Daniel Powell claimed the Social Impact Award at this year’s PLx Awards. The Awards are part of PLx, the annual conference for leaders from the high-performance community to connect, collaborate and learn. Dan won this award in recognition of his commitment to making combat sport more accessible through his charity: GNR8 Academy.
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The GNR8 Academy has been set up to offer boxing and fitness classes for children and adults in Leicester. Aiming to boost physical, social, and mental wellbeing when promoting teamwork, resilience and fun.
“I grew up on a council estate in Liverpool, you know sport especially performance sport is not looked at, at all. Being given the opportunity to perform in my sport isn’t an opportunity I can give back but it’s an opportunity to enable young people to do the best they can and see all the benefits of sport that I have."
Learn more about the fantastic work Dan is doing via this video.
7. Skateboard GB x Samsung Partnership
Given recent world events, we are operating in an increasingly difficult economic climate. A climate that undoubtedly impacts the high-performance system’s ability to bring in commercial partnerships.
Skateboard GB's partnership with Samsung is a fantastic example of how a sport can leverage its relevance and culture to form partnerships that are both commercial and social impact-led.
Over the duration of this partnership, Samsung’s support will help British skateboarders, ‘Skate More, Skate Better’. A campaign weaving together various impact-led support to develop coaches, support and maintain facilities and support elite athletes.
The partnership was launched in September; visit SkateboardGB's website to learn more about the partnership.
8. Training up new coaches to diversify our sports
As part of the Para Swimming World Championships held in Manchester this August, organisers teamed up with the Institute of Swimming and Swim England to recruit and support 12 candidates with disabilities to gain swim teacher qualifications. The partners will then work with local providers to find opportunities for the newly qualified coaches in the region to boost inclusive swimming capacity in Greater Manchester.
Similarly, the Canoe Slalom World Championships also supported a cohort of new coaches to become qualified paddle sport instructors. Six women, new to the sport in the Lee Valley area, were supported and are now being provided with paid employment opportunities at Lee Valley White Water Centre to enhance their Women & Girls’ paddling provision.
9. Environmental Sustainability Champions
As the high-performance system as a whole considers how we can operate differently, we’ve got two athletes already leading the way; fencer Marcus Mepstead and runner, Innes Fitzgerald.
Marcus was recognised and awarded with ‘The Climate Action x Sustainable Travel Award’ at the inaugural IOC Climate Action Awards. This was for implementing a yearly travel plan that minimises emissions.
Rising star Innes Fitzgerald was named Young Athlete of the Year at the BBC Green Sport Awards. At 17 years of age, Innes made the decision not to travel to Australia with Great Britain to compete in the 2023 World Cross Country Championships. This isn’t an isolated incident, with Innes already foregoing air travel and travelling by several trains across Europe, to compete in the continental Cross-Country Championships.
"I feel like it's a real privilege. I never set out to achieve an award, I just wanted to raise awareness on climate issues in the athletics and sporting world - trying to get to more young people." Innes Fitzgerald told BBC Sport
10. A Para Swimming World Championships, rooted in benefitting the local community
The 2023 Para Swimming World Championships hosted in Manchester delivered an ambitious social impact programme, looking to benefit disabled people across the region – aiming to use the Championships to create positive and sustainable change.
Activities and initiatives were developed, and efforts focused on improved access to swimming and aquatics for people with a disability. Education and training helped create more opportunities for greater inclusion and equality with key local partners. This included the delivery of an inclusive volunteer programme.
They also promoted sustainable practices through event delivery and advocated for the public to make more sustainable choices and behaviours.
What next?
We are looking forward to seeing the impact of these activities be sustained throughout 2024 and beyond.
Whilst we are sharing a few, we are extremely lucky to have had several examples to share, therefore, a thank-you to all of our National Governing Bodies (NGBs), athletes and major events partners who have joined us in our mission to power positive change.
We are happy to connect any NGB staff, athletes, businesses, and charities to any of the individuals and organisations above to collaborate further – so don’t hesitate to contact us!