Paris 2024: Olympic and Paralympic athletes line up post-Games community ChangeMakers projects

[Pelican Press 0]

Paris 2024: Olympic and Paralympic athletes line up post-Games community ChangeMakers projects

Olympic weightlifting silver medallist Emily Campbell says it is “so important to be more than just an athlete – to remember where you came from, and to give back”.

The 29-year-old is part of a new initiative that will help members of Team GB and Para GB to support good causes in their local communities once they return from this summer’s Paris Games.

The ChangeMakers programme will match athletes to social impact projects in a two-week window immediately after the Olympics and Paralympics.

And Campbell – the first British woman to win an Olympic weightlifting medal – says she wants to encourage her team-mates to use the platform of the Games “to talk about the topics that mean a lot to them”.

“As a nation we focus so much on the winning and medals, but there’s actually a big, holistic message around the Olympics,” she told BBC Sport.

“It’s about unity and the whole world coming together and if we can take that message into our communities, that two weeks after is the perfect window.”

The ChangeMakers initiative is a partnership between Team GB, ParalympicsGB and Allwyn, the new operator of the National Lottery, which since 1997 has funded elite performance agency *** Sport.

Athletes can choose the project they wish to support, from grassroots sport and mental health initiatives, to environmental programmes.

*** Sport says 86% of funded athletes want to use their platform “to make a difference to society” while they are still competing, and that 66% of *** adults believe athletes have a role to play in championing causes they believe in.

“This is something really close to my heart, and will be a really nice way to finish what’s hopefully going to be a fantastic Games”, said Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Campbell, who is close to qualifying for her second Olympics in Paris.

“We will be able to give back to the communities that we are from, like mine in Nottingham.

“As athletes we put our heart and soul into representing our nation to make everyone proud, but we’re people too, each with our own passions outside of sport. I know most athletes don’t want people to think we’re just machines that just turn out medals. We are humans that grew up in a community.

“I want to use my voice to empower more children and young females specifically, to be strong, healthy and confident by having positive conversations about body image and tackling outdated opinions around female appearance and health.

“With social media there’s an underlying pressure for people to look a certain way and we’re all unique for a reason. And that comes in all different shapes and sizes, and ethnicities, and that should be celebrated. People that don’t want to do that should be challenged, and that’s what I’m on the road to do.”

Campbell – who won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 – says to top the podium in Paris would be “incredible”.

“Everyone wants to upgrade, but it’s a tough field,” she said.

“I’ve just got to work and get myself in the best possible shape I can, and if I get rewarded with a bit of bling I’ll be over the moon.”

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