When Beth Dobbin represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics, her days revolved around training, competition, and chasing faster times. Today, the former sprinter spends several hours a day in bed, fighting an illness that has taken away much of her independence. Now, as she calls on the UK government to take action, hundreds of sporting figures have stepped forward to support her.

Dobbin, 32, has received 360 signatures for her second letter to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, urging him to meet her and commit greater funding to research into myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). The response came in just one week, with 114 Olympians and Paralympians among those backing the appeal. Together, they have won 77 Olympic and Paralympic medals.

The list features some of Britain’s biggest sporting names, including Olympic sprint champion Dina Asher-Smith, diver Tom Daley, middle-distance runners Laura Muir and Eilish McColgan, former sprinter Darren Campbell, and hurdler Colin Jackson. Support has also arrived from beyond athletics, with Everton manager David Moyes, US women’s national team coach Emma Hayes, and former England defender Millie Bright among the signatories.

For Dobbin, the response has been difficult to put into words. Sharing the development on Instagram, she revealed how quickly the sporting community had rallied behind her campaign. “I can’t believe 360 people signed in just 1 week, so many amazing names and messages still coming in of people wanting to add theirs,” she wrote.

She also highlighted the significance of having so many Olympians behind the appeal, while thanking everyone who had supported her during an extremely difficult period. “Thank you SO much to everyone that signed, I can’t tell you how much it means to me when I’m truly at rock bottom ❤️❤️❤️.”

Asher-Smith responded to the post with three heart emojis, adding her support to the campaign. But Dobbin’s message was not simply about gratitude. She wanted the government to understand how urgently people living with ME need help.

“I know everyone wants their issues taken seriously, but this has been neglected like nothing else. WE HAVE 0 APPROVED TREATMENTS!!! Please listen,” she added.

The letter asks Burnham to “level the playing field” by bringing ME research funding closer to the levels allocated to other illnesses. It also points to a significant gap in government investment. Between 2019 and 2024, UK government research funders committed just £6.6 million ($8.8 million) to ME research, compared with £79.1 million ($106 million) for Parkinson’s and £496.4 million ($665 million) for dementia.

Dobbin’s appeal follows an earlier letter she sent on October 21, which received no response. In that message, she explained how back-to-back COVID-19 and glandular fever infections had changed her life, taking her from training five hours a day to being bedbound for 22 hours. She also argued that greater investment in research could eventually reduce the financial burden of long-term illness by helping patients regain their ability to work and live independently.

But behind the campaign is a former athlete whose own health has deteriorated to an extraordinary degree.

Beth Dobbin spends 22 hours a day in bed after a severe ME diagnosis

Dobbin first noticed something was wrong during the winter of 2021-22, after contracting COVID-19 and glandular fever. She had initially been asymptomatic and only discovered the infections through retrospective tests. However, her running times began to fall, she needed more sleep, and she developed soreness around the glands in her neck and armpits.

At first, the symptoms did not stop her from competing. She went on to take part in a demanding 2022 season featuring the World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and European Championships. Yet her condition continued to worsen. She struggled with a painful throat at the World Championships and experienced dizziness at the Commonwealth Games. At the European Championships, she false-started after losing all feeling in her legs while waiting in the blocks.

What followed was a prolonged struggle to understand what was happening to her body. After taking six weeks away from training, Dobbin attempted to return but lasted only three weeks before her symptoms forced her to stop again. Several specialists eventually identified ME, a diagnosis they had initially hoped to rule out because of the limited treatment options.

The illness can cause severe and persistent fatigue that does not improve with rest, alongside pain, sleep disturbances, and problems with memory and concentration. It can also trigger debilitating crashes after relatively minor physical, mental, or sensory activity. These episodes can last for days or, in severe cases, months.

Dobbin has described the condition as “life-decimating,” explaining that she has lost her independence, ability to exercise, and capacity to work. She now leaves her bed mainly to eat or use the bathroom, and even everyday activities can leave her feeling significantly worse.

Speaking to BBC Sport, she admitted that going public about her condition carried its own risks. A 30-minute conversation could potentially trigger a deterioration that might affect her for months. Nevertheless, she decided that raising awareness was worth the risk.

The illness has also forced her to step away from the sport she spent years building her life around. Dobbin retired in April 2026 after a three-year absence from competition. The Scottish 200m record holder had represented Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics, reached the 200m semi-finals, and won relay bronze for Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She had also broken a 34-year-old Scottish record four times and recorded a personal best of 22.50 seconds in 2019.

Now, she wants her experience to make a difference for the wider ME community. More than 400,000 people in the UK are thought to have the condition, although estimates suggest the actual number could be much higher. Some patients can continue working or studying, while others require round-the-clock care and even tube feeding.

Dobbin has also spoken about the difficulty patients face in accessing specialist support through the NHS. She has described having to seek private medical help after struggling to find appropriate care, while her family has watched her health decline with little ability to intervene.

Karen Hargrave, co-founder of the charity ThereForME, praised Dobbin’s efforts and said the latest letter could mean a great deal to people living with the condition. She also urged the government to address the £15 million ($20.1 million) funding gap for Sequence ME and Long Covid research, describing it as an important step towards putting ME research on a more equal footing with other diseases.

The Department of Health and Social Care has previously said it is supporting research into ME, including a programme investigating genetic factors and a clinical trial exploring potential treatments. It has also pointed to a plan developed with the ME community to improve research, awareness, and support.

For Dobbin, however, the need for progress is deeply personal. She has already lost the career she worked so hard to build. With 360 sporting figures now standing behind her, she hopes the government will finally listen to a community that has waited far too long for answers.