More than 30 Special Olympics Great Britain (GB) Athlete Leaders from across England, Scotland and Wales recently gathered at the Stratford Hotel in London for the charity’s first Athlete Leadership Forum, supported by Special Olympics International.
Staged over two days, all registered Special Olympics GB athletes, who have graduated from the online Athlete Leadership training course which is support by ICAP Charity Day, were invited to take part in a series of workshops and discussions, which supported their development and helped to shape the future activities of Special Olympics GB.
Workshops included media training, safeguarding, the potential hosting of a Special Olympics World Summer Games, club and network development, and a future national Summer Games.
Additionally, all athletes in attendance democratically elected the successor for Katie Day as the Chair of the Athlete Leadership Team; subsequently won by Mitch Camp of Special Olympics St Albans, with James Wyatt of Special Olympics Derbyshire elected Vice Chair.
“From Aberdeen to Barnstaple, it was fantastic to bring so many of our athlete leaders together for this first forum,” said Tom Casson, Head of Projects (Impact and Inclusion), at Special Olympics Great Britain.
“Whilst some athletes had competed with and against each other, and some had taken part in our Unified Business challenges with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, some athletes were meeting for the first time, including some of the newly appointed members of our Athlete Leadership Team.
“It’s incredibly valuable to bring our athletes together for in-person activities and we’re grateful to Special Olympics International for its support to make this happen.”
The Athlete Leadership Forum was hosted by former Special Olympics GB Athlete Leadership Team Chair and former Special Olympics Sargent Shriver Global Messengers Ian Harper, who first participated in Athlete Leadership in 2016.
Athlete Leadership, which is supported in 2025 by the ICAP Charity Day, is a six-month online programme, which gives registered Special Olympics GB athletes a platform to showcase their talents and interests, undergo training and learn new skills. It aims to unlocks the leadership ability of athletes and support their development on and off the field of play.
If you are interested in participating in Athlete Leadership training in 2025, please complete the form to receive all future communication and enrol.