With the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony taking place this evening, we are delighted that a number of University of Nottingham connections will be entering the Alexandra Stadium in Birmingham before competing across the next eleven days. This includes former University of Nottingham Sport staff member and Olympic weightlifting silver medallist Emily Campbell who has been selected as one of the two Team England flag bearers at the opening of the games.
In total, the University of Nottingham will have eight current students and five alumni competing at the 2022 Commonwealths. Gina Kennedy (Squash), Amy Platten (Judo), Jamie Barden (Rugby Sevens) and Tin-Tin Ho (Table Tennis) will represent Team England alongside Campbell and current student Charlie Harding, whilst Frank Baines (Gymnastics) and Faiza Zafar (Squash) will represent Team Scotland and Pakistan respectively. Unfortunately current student and Table Tennis scholar Mollie Patterson was initially selected for the Team England squad, but had to pull out of the games through injury. We wish Mollie the very best with her recovery.
Charlie Harding will be competing as a Triathlon Guide Runner for Para Triathlete Oscar Kelly and told us that he and Oscar “are aiming for a podium, however just to be on the start line feels like a massive achievement.”
The upcoming games will also see five University of Nottingham alumni take to the playing field in their respective sports with Maria Tsaptsinos (Table Tennis), Katie Snowden (Athletics), Tom Sorsby (Hockey) and Sophie Unwin (Paracycling) will wear the white and red of Team England, whilst Paul McCreery (Table Tennis) will compete for Northern Ireland. Whilst not an alumnus, Declan James is a current University of Nottingham Premier Squash League team member and will be a part of the Team England squad this summer.
Maria Tsaptsinos and her Team England team mate Tin-Tin Ho will be joined in Birmingham by current University of Nottingham Table Tennis Head Coach Kelly Sibley. Sibley is now part of the coaching structure after previously medalling at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games alongside Tin-Tin (2014 and 2018) and Maria (2018) as a player.
Previous games have seen success for University of Nottingham connections with eleven medals from a possible fifteen at the Gold Coast in 2018, and we cannot wait to see how 2022 will compare to those fantastic games.
In the build-up to Birmingham 2022, many teams and national governing bodies have been based on the University of Nottingham utilising the incredible sports and fitness facilities we have on campus. England Netball, England Weight Lifting, Hockey India, Table Tennis Australia, Badminton South Africa, and Table Tennis England have all fine-tuned their skills at David Ross Sports Village and Jubilee Sports Centre ahead of the commencement of the games.
Speaking ahead of the competition getting underway, University of Nottingham’s Director of Sport Dan Tilley said “As the Commonwealth Games begin in Birmingham I am delighted to once again see a strong University of Nottingham presence at these showpiece games. I would like to congratulate all of our current students and alumni who have been selected, as well as wish all athletes and teams with associations to the university the very best of luck. It will be a proud moment to see former University of Nottingham Sport staff member Emily Campbell lead out Team England at the opening ceremony. I am very pleased that we have had the pleasure in assisting many Commonwealth teams in their preparation for these games by welcoming them to our on-campus sports facilities for training camps this summer, and hope that they have enjoyed their time here in Nottingham. I look forward to following the action across the next 12 days and hope that you will join me in supporting our athletes as they compete against elite level competitors from across the Commonwealth.”
You can keep up to date with our athletes Commonwealth achievements with our dedicated Commonwealth Games web page. Here, you will also find interviews with some of our current students who are competing in Birmingham.
As well as a reputation for academic excellence, we have a history of sporting success and are passionate about supporting promising athletes during their time at the University of Nottingham. To find out more about our Sports Scholarship, please click here.
Posted on Thursday 28th July 2022