The lives of the athletes at the Sporting Champion facility in Wellington are about to change drastically. In a recent announcement, it has been said that all the athletes are welcome to join a newly launched scheme that includes free workshops and mentoring from renowned Paralympics and Olympic athletes. Some of the well-known names who will be mentoring the athletes include Maisie Summers-Newton, Kadeena Cox, and Colin Jackson. 

Reports have further revealed the dates of the application process. Interested athletes will be able to fill in their applications from Monday, February 12. The registration for the scheme will remain open till March 11, 2024. So how exactly does the program work?

Wellington athletes to receive Olympic-level mentoring 

The program is conducted by Everyone Active on a yearly basis, having commenced in 2016. This organization itself is in charge of the Wellington Sports Center along with a host of other sports facilities in Taunton Deane. Under this program, the primary emphasis is given to transforming the lives of athletes by providing them with modern training facilities. 

Over the past few years, the Sporting Champion program has affected more than 5000 athletes. These athletes were given the opportunity to perfect their craft in over 230 facilities of Everyone Active for free. This year’s program will feature athletes from Vivary Golf and Adventure Centre, Wellington Sports Centre, Taunton Swimming Pool, Wellsprings Leisure Centre, and the Blackbrook Leisure Centre and Spa. Colin Jackson, who is a former 110m hurdles world record holder and a silver medalist in the Olympics, will be the brand ambassador of the program. 

Along with Colin, noted personalities like Richard Kilty, Jennifer Gadirova, Lutalo Muhammad, and more will be working hand in hand throughout the year to enrich the athletes. Speaking about the impact of the program, Jackson implied that with both the Paralympics and the Olympics happening this year, 2024 will be a big year for Sporting Champion.

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He said, “I am passionate about nurturing young talent and the Sporting Champions scheme goes above and beyond in this mission… Seeing these future champions flourish fuels my excitement for what is to come.” 

As fascinating as the prospect of the program sounds, surely, it has had a significant impact on the game in the past years. 

Sporting Champions’ road to glory

An estimated total of over £2 million has been invested to promote the proper training and development method right from the grassroots level. Surely enough, the hard work paid off. The program saw its golden days during the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

30 athletes from the Sporting Champion made it to the grandest stage while clinching three bronze, a couple of silver, and five gold medals. 

Mark Washington, the contract manager of Everyone Active, spoke about the motivation behind their continued efforts. He said, “We are delighted to support up-and-coming athletes from Taunton and Wellington on their journey to success… As a leisure provider working in partnership with Somerset Council, we feel it is important to cater for all sections of the community.”

This is an incredible moment for the Wellington Athletes and an amazing initiative by Everyone Active and the Olympic Athletes involved. It’s always great to see young athletes be provided with such incredible, once in a lifetime opportunities.

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