Holmes gets a taste of the major Games experience with Futures Programme
July 18, 2022 | by Matt Halfpenny
GB Boxing World Class Programme member and future Commonwealth and Olympics hopeful Olivia Holmes got a taste of what it would be like to feature at a major multi-sport Games in attending the Team England Futures Programme.
The Rotunda boxer, who won the England Boxing National Amateur Championships 2021 title at Female Under 54kg, travelled to Loughborough University for the experiential and educational sessions, which were created by Commonwealth Games England, delivered by SportsAid and funded by Sport England.
The programme has been designed to better prepare future medal-winning performances, enhance personal development, and give athletes and support staff – England Boxing’s Interim Talent Pathway Manager Andrea Rankine was also in attendance – the experience of a diverse, multi-sport Games environment.
It is designed to inspire and enthuse an emerging generation of athletes and support staff – including EUBC European Under-22 Championships 2022 bronze medallist Holmes – across both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth Games sports.
Those in attendance learned about Team England’s team identity, culture and values as competing athletes that included sections on Performance, Respect, Inspiration, Diversity and Excellence.
They were put through mock real-life situations, including a media conference, where they were challenged to answer questions.
Appoximately 1,000 nominated SportsAid and Backing the Best athletes and support staff formed the first ever Team England Futures cohort.
Each of the Commonwealth Games sports that will feature in Birmingham have been represented within the Preparation programme, as well as a number of other Olympic and Paralympic sports supported by SportsAid.
At the weekend Olivia Holmes and I attended the Commonwealth Games Immersion Camp at Loughborough Uni as part of being selected for the Team England Futures Programme (potential athletes and team leaders for the next Commonwealth Games).
All those who participated have now been invited to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to further enhance their experiences.
