Trio ruled out of England series

India's Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan have been ruled out of the Test series against England because of injury.

Opening batsman Gill returned home to India after suffering a shin injury in June's World Test Championship final defeat by New Zealand. All-rounder Sundar misses out with a finger injury, while fast bowler Khan fractured his thumb in a warm-up match.

Batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav have been named as replacements. The pair have been called up from India's second-string squad which is currently playing Twenty20 series in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has linked up with the squad in England after recovering from Covid-19, while bowling coach Bharat Arun and Wriddhiman Saha and Abhimanyu Easwaran have completed their period of isolation. The first Test in the five-match series begins on August 4 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

India's squad: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.

TV skills bootcamp broadening horizons for para skier Griffith

International para skier Mackenzie Griffith is going from strength to strength after completing a film and TV skills bootcamp that has opened up the option of an alternative, but still exciting, career behind the camera.

Mackenzie, who identifies as non-binary, joined the GB para team after being talent spotted at the age of 15 and is now hoping to make the GB elite team by the end of this season and the national team for the 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina. The 23-year-old from Moseley, Birmingham, decided to undergo the Host Broadcast Training Scheme (HBTI) bootcamp in 2021, so they had something to fall back on if their Olympics dream failed to come true.

The bootcamp is run by Create Central, a trade body set up to turbo-charge the region’s film, TV and games industries and a partner of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) which also funds the skills courses. Mackenzie’s skiing career is an inspiring one, marked by dogged determination and natural ability while having cerebral palsy with hemiplegia on their right side.

This has affected muscle tone and strength from head to toe, weakening their right side including their torso, chest, leg and arm. Mackenzie said: “I was born at just 23 weeks and the doctors told my parents I had a 6% chance of survival. After heart and eye surgery, and a lengthy stay in the neonatal unit, I am most definitely a survivor!

“I learnt to walk aged two and to ski at three. My disability has fuelled, not hindered my determination in life. I am physically impaired, and therefore my official international skiing classification is LW 9.1, the more severe classification of someone with both a leg, and arm impairment.

“These challenges have fuelled my determination and desire to go for anything I want, even if one involves throwing myself down a hill at speed. What I most enjoy about being active is that skiing is exhilarating and has given me a sense of freedom, helped me enormously with my self-esteem, and allowed me to develop my independence.”

Funded by the WMCA, Create Central works to encourage the region’s screen industry to discover new talent, or to encourage people from other careers to diversify into the TV industry*. Talking about their decision to enrol, Mackenzie said: “I wanted to make sure I wasn’t limiting myself to sport.

“Being involved in the bootcamps offered by Create Central has meant I have developed the skills I need to get involved in the TV industry. I love being in front of a screen as an athlete but also enjoy getting behind the scenes to find out about how it all comes together. Thanks to Caroline Officer my tutor and to Emma Riley from Shine TV for supporting me through this training.”

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA Chair, said: “A key part of our regional agenda is to ensure local people right across our region have the skills they need to succeed. 

“That’s why it’s great to hear Mackenzie’s inspiring personal story - a driven athlete who has overcome challenges whether as a competitor or embarking on a television production career. Mackenzie’s decision to take advantage of the training offer from Create Central is testament to the quality of skills bootcamps available here in the West Midlands. I look forward to seeing many more young people benefitting from bootcamps - boosting their confidence and making the most of their talents in the months and years ahead.” 

The WMCA’s portfolio holder for productivity and skills and leader of Coventry City Council, Councillor George Duggins, said: “It is really encouraging to hear Mackenzie’s experience. I would always advise young people to keep their options open and continue to develop their skills.

“Taking part in this bootcamp has meant that Mackenzie has done just that. I wish them all the very best in their future career both as an athlete and in TV.” Having already been involved in the Great British Menu in September 2021, an opportunity that came because of their involvement in the bootcamp, Mackenzie hopes to be involved in further TV productions.

“I’m really excited about the move of the Masterchef production from London to Birmingham. The Commonwealth Games showed that we deserve the recognition as a city – I had an amazing time working as a Logger during the Games for Lawn Bowls.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the Birmingham film and TV industry boom with new commissions and productions coming our way!” Encouraging others looking for success Mackenzie says: “My top tip for other people trying to get into the TV industry is that it is similar to sport – you’ll get rejections but just keep on going and you’ll get there eventually.

“No athlete was a pro or expert at the beginning. We train all year round to work on our craft, so keep on going and practicing. Network with people, keep knocking on doors and one will open eventually.” Mackenzie is also a personal trainer and comes from a family of keen skiers - both parents and elder sister ski and have encouraged them to be competitive.

More recently he went to live in Canada for eight months where they won four medals (three bronze, one silver) in the Canadian and American Nationals, before returning home in June 2023. They were part of a new high performance structured training program called Canadian Para Snowsport Training Centre running out of CADS Alberta, in Cochrane, Alberta.

This will be where they will be returning this season. Mackenzie hopes to be part of the Winter Olympics in 2026 by getting the points needed to join the GB elite team and will start training for that from October this year, but alongside this they will continue to develop their involvement in TV production.

Mackenzie is currently looking for local sponsorship as they are entirely self-funded.

*A key objective of the Create Central bootcamps is to develop an alternative training model to address industry skills’ shortages and gaps and recruitment for bootcamps focuses on democratising access for all and actively engages with underrepresented groups. The bootcamp Mackenzie took part in was delivered by Solihull College and was Create Central's HBTI Commonwealth Games Bootcamp with Sunset and Vine.

Twenty-Seven West Midlands-based young athletes to follow footsteps of Olympians at national finals

Twenty-seven athletes from West Midlands have been selected to compete at the 2021 School Games National Finals – a major multi-sport event for talented young athletes across the UK, taking place at Loughborough University from the 2nd to the 5th of September.

The School Games National Finals will be the first multi-sport event for young athletes following the lifting of lockdown restrictions. The event will celebrate the athletes’ achievements in working hard to maintain training and motivation over the last year and a half of restrictions.

Two greats who will always be remembered - in Yorkshire, the Midlands, and beyond

The deaths - so soon between each other - of two great stalwarts of Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday sent studders of sadness and disbelief around the East Midlands and South Yorkshire - and far beyond.

Former player, then player/manager Trevor Francis passed away after suffering a heart attack – at the age of 69. Only hours later, fellow ex-Forest and Wednesday player, Chris Bart-Williams also passed away. He was just 49.

Two major 2022 PFL playoff events to be hosted in the UK this August

The Professional Fighters League, the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, have announced two major back-to-back 2022 Playoffs will be hosted in Cardiff and London this summer in partnership with Live Nation, the world’s largest music and entertainment promoter.  

MMA fans in the United Kingdom for the first time ever will experience the greatest fighters on the planet compete in the PFL’s win-and-advance season format. 

Two-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser joins the line-up for London

Double Olympic shot-put champion and world record holder Ryan Crouser (USA) will be seeking to wow the crowds at the London Stadium this summer as athletics returns to the capital on Sunday 23 July 2023.

Crouser, who won his first world title in Oregon last year, is already a legendary figure in the sport having won Olympic titles in both Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2020). The 31-year-old holds the outright world record with a mark of 23.37m which came in Hayward Fields in Eugene back in 2021.

Two-Time World Champion Heavyweight Boxer Anthony Joshua Makes A Special Appearance At Expo 2020 Dubai

The superstar, British born Nigerian athlete – who won gold at the 2012 Olympics in London as an amateur, before going on to become one of the world’s most successful and recognizable professional boxers.

Two-time World Champion heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua, 32 said he would love to take part in a boxing match in Dubai and set up a training camp in the city, during a public Q&A session held at Expo 2020 Dubai’s Al Wasl Plaza. 

Tyson and Jones Jr draw as Snoop Dog ‘the greatest’ in historic fight

Boxing legend Mike Tyson’s first appearance in the ring for 15 years ended in a draw with fellow-legend Roy Jones Jr. 

The fight between the two heavyweights took place at Los Angeles’ Staples Centre and in light of the ongoing health crisis, the bout had no spectators or judges.

At the weigh-in prior to the fight, 54-year-old Tyson came in at 220lb, while Jones (51) came in at 210lb.

Despite there being no winner, the pair seemed to be quite content with a draw, with Jones saying: “I don’t do draws but the dude (Tyson) is so strong.

“When he hits you, his head, his punches, his body shots, everything hurts. I’m cool with the draw.”

Tyson responded by saying to Jones: “I hit you with some good shots, and you took it. I respect that.”

The pair took part in the heavyweight exhibition as a way to raise money for several charities with Tyson reportedly paid $10 million for the fight, a large amount of which he will donate.

He said: “This is better than fighting for championships. We’re humanitarians now. We can do something good for the world. We’ve got to do this again.”

The match had a ‘no knock-out’ rule that saw the two boxers engage in heavy sparring instead, with Jones describing Tyson’s body shots as ‘taking a toll’ on him.

Many of the sport’s fellow-legends expressed their satisfaction with former heavyweight champion, George Foreman tweeting, ‘Best exhibition I have ever seen’, while Amir Khan wrote, ‘Well done to my friends @MikeTyson & #RoyJonesJr. great performance from both legends. Both guys looked in great shape. I’m happy nobody got hurt, Well done [sic]’.

However rapper Snoop Dogg described the fight as watching two uncles fight at a family BBQ.

Following his commentary, many people joked that Snoop was the real winner of the fight with NBA star LeBron James tweeting, ‘My Unk @SnoopDogg is simply the greatest at whatever he does man!!!’

U.S.A. women match men as gold medals came thick and fast

On the penultimate day in Budapest, the United States won the women's 4x100m relay gold as Sha'Carrie Richardson and Gabby Thomas came into the team to see them home ahead of regular rivals Jamaica in a championship record time of 41.03 seconds yesterday.

UEFA and Premier League condemn clubs signing up to breakaway Super League plans

UEFA, the Premier League and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have condemned 12 major European clubs, including the 'big six' from England, signing up to a breakaway ESL (European Super League).

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham are part of the group. La Liga's Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid and Serie A's AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus are involved.

UEFA said it will use all measures possible to stop the cynical project. Senior figures at European football's governing body are furious about the proposals. In a seismic move for European football, the Premier League clubs will join AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid.

The ESL said the founding clubs had agreed to establish a "new midweek competition" and that the inaugural season is intended to commence as soon as practicable. It also anticipated that a further three clubs will join the breakaway.

Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer will be a vice-chairman of the hew Super League. He said: "By bringing together the world's greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid."

Prime Minister Johnson said the plans would be very damaging for football and that the UK government supports football authorities in taking action. He added: "The clubs involved must answer to their fans and the wider footballing community before taking any further steps."

UEFA had hoped to head off plans with a new-look 36-team Champions League set to be confirmed today. The European governing body released a joint statement together with the English Football Association, Premier League, Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), La Liga, and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) as well as Serie A.

They said they will "remain united" in trying to stop the breakaway, using both judicial and sporting measures if required. They also reiterated Fifa's stance that players taking part in the Super League would be banned from all other competitions at domestic, European or world level and could be prevented from representing their national teams.

In a separate statement, the Premier League said it condemned the proposal as it "attacks the principles of open competition and sporting merit which are at the heart" of domestic and European football. Details on how the breakaway league would work are scarce, but there were talks in October over a new £4.6bn competition that would involve replacing the Champions League.

It would likely be a 'members only' concept, where many of Europe's richest clubs would have guaranteed entry, without the threat of relegation or the possibility of failing to qualify.

The threat of forming a European Super League could also be a handy tool for big clubs to use in their negotiations with UEFA for a better deal.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said in a statement the government is "concerned this plan could create a closed shop at the very top of our national game". He added: "We have a football pyramid where funds from the globally successful Premier League flow down the leagues and into local communities.

"I would be bitterly disappointed to see any action that destroys that." Labour leader Keir Starmer said the clubs involved should rethink immediately or face the consequences of their actions. "This proposal risks shutting the door on fans for good, reducing them to mere spectators and consumers," he said.

Juventus owner Andrea Agnelli, Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and AC Milan chief executive Ivan Gazidis would all have had a significant input into the Champions League discussions. However, those clubs are among those to have broken ranks, to the fury of Uefa, whose president Aleksander Ceferin wanted to stave off a Super League threat.

The Premier League said a European Super League would destroy the dream of fans that their team may climb to the top and play against the best. It added such a league would undermine the appeal of the whole game and that they would work with the FA, the English Football League, Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), League Managers Association (LMA) and fans to "defend the integrity and future prospects of English football.

The FA said it will not provide permission to any competition that would be damaging to English football and will take any legal and/or regulatory action necessary. Bundesliga sides are opposed to the plans because the German model means commercial investors cannot have more than a 49% stake in clubs, so fans hold a majority of their own voting rights.

It is understood French Ligue 1 side Paris St-Germain are not part of the group. UEFA said it thanked those clubs in other countries, especially the French and German clubs, who have refused to sign up" to the breakaway league.

"We call on all lovers of football, supporters and politicians, to join us in fighting against such a project if it were to be announced," they added. "This persistent self-interest of a few has been going on for too long. Enough is enough."

Quite when the European Super League would start is unclear. However, world governing body Fifa has already said it would not recognise such a competition and any players involved in it would be denied the chance to play at a World Cup.

Serie A has called an emergency board meeting to discuss the matter. The Football Supporters' Association said it is "totally opposed" to the plans, which it said were "motivated by nothing but cynical greed".

They added: "This competition is being created behind our backs by billionaire club owners who have zero regard for the game's traditions and continue to treat football as their personal fiefdom." The PFA said it had substantial concerns about the proposal, adding it would detract from the strength and joy of domestic football and diminish the game for the vast majority of fans across the continent.

France's President Emmanuel Macron said he welcomes the position of French clubs to refuse to participate in a European Super League that threatens the principle of solidarity and sporting merit.

A statement from the French presidency added: "The French state will support all the steps taken by the LFP (France's professional leagues governing body), FFF (France's football association), UEFA and FIFA to protect the integrity of federal competitions, whether national or European." It has been agreed the new-look Champions League will involve an initial phase where every club plays 10 matches each rather than the current group phase.

In addition there would be play-offs, followed by a knockout phase. The most controversial aspect of the proposals surround the allocation of the four additional places, with two being reserved for the clubs ranked highest in UEFA's co-efficient table who fail to qualify for the Champions League through their domestic competition, but do secure some kind of European football.

At the moment, Liverpool and Chelsea would be the clubs who benefited from that system if it was in place this season. Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville said he was disgusted by the plans.

"I'm a Manchester United fan and have been for 40 years," Neville, who also co-owns League Two club Salford City, said. "It's an absolute disgrace.

"Honestly, we have to wrestle back the power in this country from the clubs at the top of this league and that includes my club." The former England defender said the six English clubs involved should be docked points and fined.

"It's pure greed," Neville said. "The club's owners imposters. They're nothing to do with football in this country. There's 100-odd years of history in this country of fans who have lived and loved these clubs.

"We're in the middle of a pandemic and an economic crisis. Football clubs in the [semi-professional] National League are going bust, furloughing players and these lot are having Zoom calls about breaking away.

"Dock them all points tomorrow. Put them at the bottom of the league and take the money off them. Seriously. You have to stamp on this."

UEFA human rights delegation visits Qatar to assess workers' rights

A UEFA delegation visiting Qatar to assess workers' rights says progress has been made but more work is needed ahead of the 2022 World Cup. Human rights issues in the host country have been under scrutiny since Qatar was awarded the tournament in 2010.

UEFA established a working group in May to work with FIFA on the issue. The visit came as Amnesty International published a report claiming "thousands" of migrant deaths have not been properly investigated.

UEFA sanction nine of the breakaway ESL clubs

Nine of the original European Super League clubs, including the Premier League's 'big six', have been given a financial punishment by UEFA.

The nine - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, plus AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid - have also committed to the European governing body and its competitions. However, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus are set to face the appropriate action under UEFA's disciplinary process.

The trio have refused to renounce the breakaway league.

The ESL was announced on 18 April but within 48 hours the plans had fallen apart with the English clubs withdrawing after fan protests and UK government pressure. The nine clubs have agreed to make a combined 15m euros (£13.4m) goodwill contribution to benefit children's and grassroots football across Europe.

They will also have 5% of UEFA competition revenues withheld for one season, starting in 2023-24, and this money will be redistributed, including in the UK. Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer will pay his club's portion of the goodwill contribution and the competition revenue, which will not come out of club funds.

Arsenal's owners, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, are committed to meeting all costs incurred by the ESL while a Tottenham statement said: "Any fines will be the responsibility of the owners." The nine clubs face fines of 100m euros (£86.9m) each if they seek to join an unauthorised competition in the future, and a fine of half that if they breach any other terms of the declaration, UEFA said in a statement.

They will also re-join the influential lobbying group the European Club Association.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: "I said at the UEFA congress two weeks ago that it takes a strong organisation to admit making a mistake, especially in these days of trial by social media. These clubs have done just that.

"In accepting their commitments and willingness to repair the disruption they caused, UEFA wants to put this chapter behind it and move forward in a positive spirit. These clubs recognised their mistakes quickly and have acted to demonstrate their contrition and future commitment to European football.

"The same cannot be said for the clubs that remain involved in the so-called Super League and UEFA will deal with those clubs subsequently."

UEFA Select Click Consult for Technical SEO and Content

An electrifying knock-out competition saw Click Consult become champions of the latest UEFA pitch process, with fans of the agency said to be thrilled at the tireless commitment to excellence that has resulted in such a triumph.

The partnership will look to capitalise on the many opportunities that technical SEO and optimised content can offer as UEFA looks to promote European football and its competitions as well as its phenomenal work building trust with and providing leadership for the many national football associations it represents.

UFC agrees $335m payment to former fighters following lawsuits settlement

The UFC's parent company TKO Group has agreed a $335m (£263m) settlement on two lawsuits with a group representing about 1,200 former UFC athletes.

Ugandan Cheptegei breaks 5,000m world record in Monaco

Joshua Cheptegei produced an astonishing run in Monaco to break the 16-year-old 5,000m world record by almost two seconds.

The 23-year-old Ugandam, who won the 10,000m world title in Doha last year, had promised he would take a shot at the time but success seemed unlikely. However, guided by trackside lights illustrating world record pace, he came home in 12 minutes 35.36 seconds.

The previous mark, set by Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele, was 12:37.35.
Remarkably it is Cheptegei's second world record in Monaco this year, despite the season being badly disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. He broke the 5km road world record in the principality in February..

"Monaco is a special place and it's one of these places where I could break the world record," he said. "It took a lot to keep being motivated this year because so many people are staying at home but you have to stay motivated."

Elsewhere, world champion Noah Lyles showed his quality in the 200m with a commanding victory in 19.72 seconds. His younger brother Josephus was second on his Diamond League debut ahead of fourth-placed Adam Gemili of Britain in 20.68 seconds. Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who won heptathlon world gold last year, admitted she was "not in the best shape" after finishing sixth in the high jump with 1.84m, 14cm short of her personal best.

Cheptegei was not the only athlete to make light of the lack of competitive action in 2020 to post impressive times. Britain's Laura Muir broke Dame Kelly Holmes' 21-year-old British 1,000m record with a time of 2:30.82, in a race won by Kenya's Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon in the second fastest time in history.

"Racing a time like today gives me a lot of confidence going into an Olympic year," said Muir. "To do that in my second run, to run a British record I'm really, really pleased with it."

Norwegian world champion Karsten Warholm turned the 400m hurdles into a solo time trial, breaking Kevin Young's 1992 meeting record in 47.10 and serving notice of his intention to do the same to the American's long-standing world mark.

Scotland's Jake Wightman took more than two seconds off his 1500m personal best, coming home in 3:29.47. It earned him a creditable third behind Timothy Cheruiyot and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, world and European champion respectively, and moved him up to second in the British all-time standings.

Kenyan world champion Hellen Obiri took a comfortable win in the 5,000m, with rival Sifan Hassan stepping out of the race with a couple of laps to go and Britain's Laura Weightman claiming a personal best in third.

Great Britain's Andrew Pozzi has re-started the year in electric form. The 28-year-old, who came within three hundredths of his personal best in Finland on Tuesday, duly matched it with a time of 13.14 seconds to claim a narrow second place behind Spain's Rio 2016 silver medallist Orlando Ortega in the 110m hurdles.

Compatriot Kyle Langford earned a 800m personal best of 1:44.83 in fifth behind world champion Donavan Brazier of the United States. Previous attempts to stage international athletics this season, notably in Oslo and Zurich, have featured athletes competing remotely via video link, rarely-run distances and small fields.

With a limit of 5,000 socially-distanced spectators and star-studded start lists competing in the same stadium, Monaco's Diamond League opener was a partial return to normality. But the effects of the pandemic were still visible.

Athletes prepared for races on the infield to give them more space than Stade Louis II's regular call-room affords, crowd noise was pumped into the venue and American pole vault world champion Sam Kendricks was unable to compete after his pole failed to make it to the stadium on time.

UK and Republic of Ireland confirmed as Euro 2028 joint hosts

The United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland will host the 2028 European Championship, Uefa has confirmed.

UK Athletics and Birmingham City Council unveil Performance Innovation Centre at Alexander Stadium campus

UK Athletics (UKA) has confirmed that Birmingham will host a new Performance Innovation Centre from summer 2023, after agreeing a partnership with the City Council for the facility to be situated on the redeveloped Alexander Stadium campus, helping cement the site’s Commonwealth Games legacy.

UK Athletics and The Great Run Company announce UKA 5K Road Championships to take place on Great North Run weekend

UK Athletics and The Great Run Company are delighted to announce that the UK Athletics 5K Road Championships will take place on Great North Run weekend on Friday 9 September 2022 at the Quayside in Newcastle.

As UK Athletics continues to review its UK Championships offering across all off-track events from the end of 2022 and 2023 onwards, the announcement of this first of its kind fixture is a key commitment in our road running calendar.

UK Athletics announce partnership with Sportsbeat and PRTNR Strategies to deliver content and digital

UK Athletics have appointed Sportsbeat and PRTNR Strategies to deliver a comprehensive content, digital, communications and PR brief, in an exciting new partnership for the sport. The two agencies, both part of Beat Media Group, work with some of the biggest names and brands in sport, including Team GB, The Open, FIFA, Six Nations Rugby and the National Lottery, as well as a host of other national and international governing bodies. 

UK Athletics appoint priory healthcare for mental health services

UK Athletics has appointed Priory Healthcare to offer support to athletes outside the World Class Programme (WCP) and across the wider sport.

The appointment was made following a recent review of mental health services and support available to athletes who represent GB & NI as well as Athletics Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. It recognised that many athletes who compete at the highest level but are not supported on the WCP experience the same stresses and demands in relation to training, competition, as well as balancing these requirements alongside employment and financial living cost responsibilities

The renewed relationship with Priory Healthcare will provide non programme athletes with a clear self-referral signposting system to promptly access a nationwide network of expertise via the Priory’s Wellbeing Centres and Hospitals.

UKA and England Athletics’ Duty of Care Lead Jane Fylan said: “We are delighted to be able to confirm this arrangement with Priory Healthcare which will support many athletes who perform at the highest level but aren’t necessarily in receipt of WCP funding or support.

“We’ve worked closely with the performance team at British Athletics to identify the wider requirements. Athletics is a big sport and the numbers representing both GB & NI and the home nations across the year are significant. We’re pleased to now be able to offer quality mental health support in this way to a wider group of athletes.

“We do advocate strongly that individuals should seek referral via their GP in the first instance, however with the ever-growing demands on GPs and the NHS as a whole we also understand the need for those seeking to access a private referral system both promptly and confidentially.”

Priory Healthcare’s Chief Operating Officer, Gair Stott, said: “We are proud to partner with UK Athletics, which is committed to a culture that supports and empowers individuals to talk about their mental health. Our nationwide network of hospitals and Wellbeing Centres offers high-quality treatment, by top specialists in their field, and we have a long track record of supporting sportsmen and women.

“The visibility of today’s athletes can exacerbate the pressures they are under, professionally and personally. Some people assume that mental health issues in athletes are rare, as they’re perceived to be extremely physically healthy with fewer psychological issues. In truth, mental illness is likely to be as common in athletes as it is in the general population. With access to our psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists, Priory Healthcare hopes it can support the UK’s athletes’ mental health, alongside their physical health, which has true benefits all round.”