No images? Click here Your weekly physical activity bulletin30 July 2024 We are working towards improving the health and wellbeing of the nation through sport, exercise and physical activity. For more information on our work visit our website or follow us on X @NCSEM_PAnews The Life Scientific: Vicky Tolfrey on parasport research and childhood dreams of the OlympicsNext month the 2024 Paralympic Games get underway in Paris, involving the world’s very best para athletes; and Professor Vicky Tolfrey is at the forefront of the science that makes their sporting dreams a reality. Vicky is the Director of the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport at Loughborough University, a hub for elite para-sport research. She’s worked with stars from the worlds of wheelchair athletics, basketball, rugby and tennis, amongst others – and in 2017, became the first European recipient of the International Paralympic Committee’s prestigious Scientific Award. In this BBC Sounds podcast she tells Professor Jim Al-Khalili about her work with elite para athletes, her experiences at major international sporting events, and her childhood dreams of becoming an Olympian herself. Motherhood and medals: Meet 3 Olympians who have returned to sport since starting a familyOnce, in the not-too-distant past, becoming a mum meant having to leave dreams of a successful sports career behind. But in Paris 2024, this is far from the truth. Part of the evolving landscape of women’s sport has meant a more welcoming and accepting space for mothers who want to return to their careers after having children. Just recently, FIFA have introduced a minimum of 14 weeks paid maternity leave for players, and England Netball have set the standard on how sports can support women returning to play, providing pregnancy-specific guidance such as pelvic floor exercises and advice. Access Sport Launches new ‘Building Stronger Communities’ researchA new study from Access Sport, carried out by the University of Bath, sheds light on the critical role that grassroots sport clubs can play in giving young people a sense of belonging and strengthening communities. The report emphasises that by prioritising these factors, clubs can maximise other social outcomes, including improved health, wellbeing and life prospects. Nearly all children who participated reported feeling a sense of belonging (97%) and emotional connection (95%) when they attended grassroots sports clubs supported by Access Sport. From Parks to Paris - A Spotlight on Olympic SkateboardingAccording to the Olympic website skateboarding first developed in the USA during the 1950s, growing in popularity during the 1980s as part of the underground, alternative culture of the era. Since then, the sport has become synonymous with urban youth culture across the world, with its global popularity leading to its inclusion at Tokyo 2020 and now Paris 2024. Its popularity with young people can be seen at the highest level, with Briton Sky Brown securing the bronze medal in the women’s park event in Tokyo at just 13 years old. Not only was Sky’s medal a huge personal achievement, but it inspired a new generation of skaters and raised awareness of the sport across the UK more broadly. The weekly physical activity bulletin in a summary of news stories that appear across the physical activity sector. The National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine is not responsible for the content of external sites. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive it either via the SSEHS Active website or the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (East Midlands) website. Read our privacy policy. |