{"id":71611,"date":"2021-09-23T08:31:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T07:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solopress.com\/blog\/?p=71611"},"modified":"2024-02-05T15:15:23","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T15:15:23","slug":"gb-olympians-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solopress.com\/blog\/customer-stories\/gb-olympians-association\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer Stories: GB Olympians Association"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u2018Once an Olympian, Always an Olympian\u2019 <\/strong><\/em>\u2013 \u00a0the motto of the GB Olympians Association.<\/p>\n

The GB Olympians Association is an organization comprised of current and former Olympians. Anyone who\u2019s ever competed for Team GB in a Summer or Winter games is automatically a member. GB Olympians is dedicated to celebrating and supporting its members and spreading the Olympic spirit throughout communities.<\/p>\n

Solopress was honoured to work with GB Olympians recently, and we were keen to learn more about their work and how print came to play a part in their story.<\/p>\n

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L-R Amanda Lightfoot OLY (Biathlon), Kate Haywood OLY (Swimming, Beijing 2008 & London 2012), Shirley Addison (n\u00e9e Webb) OLY (Athletics, Hammer, Athens 2004), Lou Collins OLY (Athletics, Sprints, Seoul 1988), Aly Dixon OLY (Athletics, Marathon, Rio 2016), Stephanie Proud OLY (Swimming, London 2012).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The origins of the GB Olympians Association<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rising to represent your country in the Olympic Games is an achievement that deserves lifelong recognition. GB Olympians is a partner organization to Team GB<\/a> and automatically enrols anyone who\u2019s ever participated in the games under their banner.<\/p>\n

The idea to form an association for all Olympians across the globe was first introduced at the IOC Centennial Congress in Paris in 1994, and the World Olympians Association\u00a0(WOA) was formed in Atlanta two years later.<\/p>\n

The WOA now recognizes 96 separate National Olympians Associations (NOAs) across the world, including the GB Olympians Association (GBOA) here in the UK. GBOA works closely with the WOA as well as the British Olympic Association (BOA), the organization that sends Team GB athletes to Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

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On the right track<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The GBOA is a network organisation run by volunteer Olympians, for other Olympians, whether they\u2019re continuing to pursue their sporting careers, stepping down from elite competition or have retired altogether. There are currently around 3,000 members, from competitors in the 1948 London games through to the most recent graduates of Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021).<\/p>\n

Crucially, GBOA helps Olympians to recognise the extensive skill set that they develop as elite athletes and then supports them to use those skills as widely as possible within and beyond sport.\u00a0 Some will remain in sports coaching, while others have been supported to achieve qualifications to audit sport settings.<\/p>\n

For some, their impact will be away from their chosen sport, for example in their communities, for charities or in campaigning. A great example is \u2018OLY Earth+<\/a>\u2019 an environmental sustainability programme that has been launched by GB Olympians, with GBOA support, this summer, or the fundraising that Hannah Macleod OLY<\/a> is delivering on GBOA\u2019s behalf, by running the 2021 London Marathon in support of Mental Health charity MIND.<\/p>\n

For all British Olympians, GBOA is there to connect and engage so that they are each encouraged, in their own way, to help to spread the ethos of Olympism.<\/p>\n

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Sara Parfett OLY, CEO of the WOA Mike Miller, Ed Clancy OLY OBE and Lucy Glover OLY crouch in front of the assembled Olympians in Warrington.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Olympism<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From Jesse Owens\u2019 success at the Berlin games in 1936 to Barshim and Tamberi sharing the high jump gold in Tokyo, there\u2019s a spirit that runs through the Olympics that transcends the world of sport. The founder of the modern Olympics in 1896, Pierre de Coubertin, summed up his intentions when he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cOlympism seeks to create a way of life-based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of a good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In the years since, the idea of Olympism has developed significantly. The IOC currently sets out seven \u201cFundamental Principles of Olympism\u201d. They make for an inspiring read that can be found on page twelve of the Olympic Charter<\/a>, but they\u2019re also helpfully summed up through the seven core Olympic and Paralympic values:<\/p>\n