Team GB’s Dr Paul Ford MBE presents to student athletes and sports teams

Dr Paul Ford MBE, Deputy Chef de Mission and the Head of Sport Engagement at the British Olympic Association (BOA), presented online to Hull Sport’s Talented Athlete and Sport Excellence Clubs about his role in planning the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

He spoke about Team GB’s preparation for the Summer Olympic Games including securing the pre-Games training camp and ensuring Team GB’s accommodation at the Tokyo Olympic Village felt like a ‘home from home’.

Dr Paul Ford MBE said: “Team GB are proud to work with the University of Hull, as our Official University Partner.

“Through our partnership we offer unique opportunities to students and I recently enjoyed speaking to students about our preparation and planning for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. We really value sharing our expertise and look forward to future events with the University of Hull.”

Included in Paul Ford’s talk was how Team GB supports athletes in preparing for the Olympic Games and advice on pursuing a career in sports performance.

As well as BOA staff members, the Team GB partnership has also provided other exciting visits and talks from Team GB athletes such as Kye Whyte (BMX), Max Whitlock (Gymnast), Beth Tweddle (Gymnast), Anthony Ogogo (Boxer) and more. 

Tim Purdy, Wellness and Performance Manager at Hull Sport said: “It’s fantastic that we can offer inspirational insights from Team GB staff like Dr Paul Ford to our high performing sport students.

“The talk really resonated with our Talented Athletes at Hull Sport and gave them a greater understanding of elite level sport and the future roles they could pursue.”

In December 2019, Dr Ford MBE visited the University of Hull campus and spoke to Sports, Health and Exercise Science students about maximising performance within Team GB. This year the presentation was conducted online with students having the opportunity to ask questions at the end.

Katrina Rjabova, a third year Sport Performance Coaching student said: “It was a very interesting and visual presentation from Paul. A really well-structured talk of the behind the scenes planning and efforts that go into supporting the Team GB athletes.”

Dr Ford MBE who was also the Head of Pre-Games for Rio 2016 was awarded an MBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours list for services to sport.

Alex Mcwan, a first year Sport Science student said: “It was really interesting to hear about a career that is a goal of mine and it was useful to learn how to be successful in the industry.”

The University of Hull is an official partner of Team GB – incorporating Tokyo 2020 and the Beijing 2022 Winter Games and Paris 2024.

The partnership provides opportunities for the University of Hull’s students, staff and communities, including participating in Team GB events, developing courses, guest speakers and CV-boosting opportunities such as work experience and volunteering.

More details on the partnership can be found here.