#discoveryourgold To Identify Future Talent

12 Jul 2016 | tshego

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UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and a range of national governing bodies have launched multi-sport talent identification campaign, #DiscoverYourGold.

Boxing heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, Olympic rowing icon Sir Steve Redgrave and Olympic skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold are among the athletes backing the campaign.

Over 20 sports are involved in #DiscoverYourGold, which is targeting 15-24-year-old males and females to be fast-tracked into the world of high performance sport.

Launched at the Lee Valley VeloPark, the campaign aims to identify talented young athletes who could be challenging for medals at Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

Previous UK Sport and EIS talent identification campaigns have been successful in the past, discovering the likes of Olympic rowing champion Helen Glover, taekwondo Olympic bronze medalist Lutalo Muhammad, Sochi 2014 skeleton gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold and London 2012 para-cycling silver medalist Karen Darke.

Sir Steve Redgrave, who launched the first talent identification campaign – Sporting Giants – seven years ago, said: “UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport have an impressive track record of discovering great British talent.

“It’s very exciting to help launch the new campaign – the next great British sporting talent is out there and they’ve just been given a wonderful opportunity to take the first step on the road to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.”

Anthony Joshua, added: “I was very lucky to find the sport of boxing which set me on the exciting path to the London 2012 Olympic gold medal and world heavyweight championship. #DiscoverYourGold is a fantastic campaign from UK Sport and the EIS that will help unearth the champions of the future.”

Liz Nicholl, chief executive of UK Sport, said: “Discover Your Gold is all about ensuring young people with sporting talent get the opportunity to reach their full potential no matter what their background.

“We are looking for athletes with raw endurance, speed or power. You might be in the wrong sport, but with the potential, with access to the right training and support, to become a future Olympic medalist.”

Nigel Walker, national director of the EIS, said: “The Rio 2016 Games are less than a month away and we are expecting great things in Brazil but it is important that we maintain a focus on unearthing the next generation of Olympic and Paralympic stars.

“Discover Your Gold is a fantastic campaign that should help us retain our position as one of the powerhouses of Olympic and Paralympic sport as we start to look at Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

“As a former athlete myself, I know elite sport can be immensely challenging but if you are someone who believes you have what it takes to win, we urge you to apply to be part of Discover Your Gold.”