British Athletics Launches #represent Campaign
British Athletics has launched #REPRESENT ahead of a host of major championships on British soil.
#REPRESENT, a digitally led British Athletics campaign, has been launched with the aim of cementing the bond between fans and athletes, with new branding and downloadable imagery and fan templates.
#REPRESENT will be the official hashtag of the British Athletics team as they embark on the next Olympic and Paralympic cycle leading through to Tokyo 2020. A new website (www.britishathletics.org.uk) will be launched in the coming weeks covering all news surrounding official British Athletics teams, events and ticketing.
Spearheading the campaign is Sir Mo Farah, who said: “Brits are the best sports fans in the world! You guys are so important for bringing success and having that home crowd cheering me on made all the difference back in London 2012.
“Now I want every fan in the stadium this summer to be as loud as possible to cheer us to victory. The louder you shout, the louder you cheer, the faster we go. It’s going to be an amazing summer of athletics and I can’t wait to put on a show back at my favourite stadium.”
July’s Müller Anniversary Games take place on Sunday 9th July and fans have been encouraged to engage with the colours of the campaign by ‘representing’ from the stands to create a sea of red, white and blue, as athletes get their preparations underway ahead of this summer’s IAAF World Championships, from 4th – 13th August.
Between the Müller Anniversary Games and IAAF World Championships is the World Para Athletics Championships, with London the first city to ever host both world championships in the same city and in the same year.
Beginning on 14th July and running every day until 23rd July, the championships will see the likes of Jonnie Peacock, Hannah Cockroft, Richard Whitehead and many more represent Great Britain on the track which hosted the 2012 Paralympic Games.
Nike has also unveiled a brand new team kit which will be worn for the first time at both the World Para Athletics Championships and IAAF World Championships London 2017.
Niels de Vos, chief executive of UK Athletics, said: “After consultation with athletes, coaches and staff, I’m exceptionally proud to see how the campaign has evolved into something we can be excited about as an organisation.
“The importance of digital platforms are not to be underestimated – through social networks, our athletes regularly bond and interact with our loyal and ever-enthusiastic fans, and, with a fresh new branding front for the British Athletics team, #REPRESENT further lends itself to this.”
“In addition to the #REPRESENT campaign, the new British Athletics team kit also brings a great deal of excitement for both athletes and fans, particularly with three huge global events in the World Para Athletics Championships, the IAAF World Championships London 2017 and the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships on the horizon.”
Billy Johnson, director of commissioned creative agency Designroom Sport, added: “Designroom Sport are proud to have worked in partnership with British Athletics to create a new, game-changing brand solution. #REPRESENT is a bold step forward that modernises British Athletics’ communications, speaking equally for fans, partners and the federation alike. We can’t wait to see the brand come to life during the massive series of athletics events in 2017 and beyond.”
