SportsAid

Posted on 30 Jun 2010

The Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) has been recognised for its achievements by International Keynote speakers, including Jean-Laurent Bourquin from the IOC, at its Annual Conference.

The Conference, focusing on the support of performance athletes in education, also heard from Stephen Norris, the man behind Canada’s medal charge at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, Olympic Gold medallist Amy Williams and Prof. David Lavallee of Aberystwyth University.

Speaking at the TASS Conference Jean-Laurent Bourquin said: "Athletes are the Olympic movement's number one priority and sport has a social responsibility to provide athletes with the necessary support and assistance. Athletes in the UK are lucky to have the choices TASS provides.  It is an inspirational Scheme and one that many countries around the world can learn from."

Former TASS athlete and Olympic Gold medallist Amy Williams said: "I benefited from TASS in 2004-2006 when I was studying towards my degree in Sport Performance. The support I received through the team of physiotherapists and coaches at Bath University allowed me to train and compete at the top level, it gave me the edge I needed to send me on my way to Olympic Gold.

"I'm aware that I won't be able to compete in my sport forever so it was important for me to develop skills that will carry me forward into a new career in the future. For me this is why the TASS programme is so important, it allowed me to gain valuable skills and knowledge through my degree but at the same time I was able to continue my training at the top level."

Since 2004 TASS, managed by charity SportsAid, has distributed over £20m in athlete award funding to over 4,500 athletes and has engaged with over 80 Higher or Further Education Institutes and 50 sports Governing Bodies to deliver the programme.

Guy Taylor, TASS National Manager, has also gained recognition for the work of the Scheme having recently been appointed as the UK Expert to the European Commission EU Working Group for ‘Education and Training in Sport'. He said: "Both my appointment to this position and the growing status of our Conference is a great reflection on the success of TASS as a programme. We really are leading the way in terms of best practice when it comes to enabling athletes to choose their sport and education. I am really pleased that we're now capitalising on opportunities to share what we have learnt over the last six years with international partners and, of course, Amy Williams is a prime example of what can happen when the system works. There really is no longer any need for a talented athlete to put their personal and academic development on hold to pursue their sport."  Guy has been invited to present to the IOC's Athlete Career Programme in Lausanne.