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April 30, 2012:To mark the start of Universities Week 2012 a new report launched today reveals the statistics behind Team GB’s medallists for the last twenty years. Analysis shows that Team GB Olympic medallists are twice as likely to have gone to university as the UK population as a whole. Sixty one per cent of medallists have been to university compared to 31 per cent of the population who have a degree.
The report,Olympic and Paralympic Games: The impact of universities,highlights that university-goers from the combined Team GB competitors since Barcelona 1992 to Beijing 2008 have won 65 per cent of the nation’s gold medals, 66 per cent silver medals and 49 per cent of the bronze medals. At the last Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, 64 per cent of Team GB’s medallists had been to university, compared to 66 per cent at the previous Games in Athens.
At London 2012 the trend looks set to continue. By mid-April 2012, 59 members of Team GB for London 2012 had been selected, 59 per cent of whom have been to university or are currently in higher education. This includes three athletes, 24 of 38 swimmers and eight of 11 sailors currently selected.
Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, said: “It is inspiring to see that university athletes lead the way for Team GB medallists. This demonstrates the strong links between university and sports. Of course, it is not just our athletes that make Team GB great. Behind each athlete and each medal there are coaches, sports psychologists, nutritionists, product researchers and many more, all anchored within universities and university research. In addition, many London 2012 hopefuls who have not been through the university system draw on this expertise. Through Universities Week 2012 we will demonstrate just how diverse universities’ contribution to London 2012 has been.”
Karen Rothery, CEO, British Universities & Colleges Sport said: “Over the last five Olympic Games, university supported Team GB athletes have consistently performed better/best in the medals table, showing the impact that universities make on our athletes. But it is not simply those in Team GB that we should be proud of. Through the BUCS sports programmes we see so many professional and amateur athletes gain huge value through university sport programmes. Whether someone becomes an Olympian or a business-leader with head for numbers and a gift for sport, universities undoubtedly play a role in developing and nurturing our sporting and business talent of the future. Today’s report shows this contribution in its full spectrum.”
Team GB could take to the podium as third in the medals table at London 2012, according to predictions from Sheffield Hallam University. The economic forecasting model developed by the university’s Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) team predicts 27 gold medals and 51 medals in total across 15 sports and 18 disciplines for Team GB in this year’s Games. This follows the university’s Beijing 2008 predictions which projected China would win 46 Gold medals. This was the closest prediction to actual total of 51 medals.
League table of medallists by university (1992-2008 Games)
|
Place |
University and medals |
|
1-2 |
Joint: University of Cambridge and University of Oxford with 15 medals each |
|
3 |
Loughborough University with 11 medals |
|
4-5 |
Joint: Oxford Brookes University and University of Edinburgh both with nine medals each |
|
6 |
University of Bath with 7 medals |
|
7 |
University of Nottingham with 6 medals |
|
8-9 |
Joint: University of Reading and University of Southampton with 5 medals |
|
10 |
University of Exeter with 4 medals |
At the climax of Universities Week, student Team GB athletes and hopefuls will compete with their amateur sporting peers at BUCS VISA Outdoor Athletics Championships (OAC), a London 2012 test event as part of the London Prepares Series. At the OAC games 1,200 students across 15 disciplines will participate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete at the Olympic Stadium.
