Keeping athletes on track

Bondholder Derbyshire Institute of Sport (DIS) is continuing to support its athletes after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have been postponed.

Given the scale and severity of Covid-19, the Tokyo 2020 Games have been postponed for 12 months. The DIS is offering as much support as possible to its athletes through phone and video calls, emails and online platforms to help them them stay positive and well.

The team is looking at innovative ways to adapt training and learning schedules and giving athletes support and advice to overcome any anxieties and worries they may have about the impact of the crisis on their loved ones.

The DIS is also planning to share some of the knowledge of the its team, helping everyone to eat well and look after their mental and physical health in the weeks ahead.

Chloe Maudsley, Managing Director, Derbyshire Institute of Sport, said: “We will do all we can to continue to support talented, local athletes and provide positive success stories to show that Derbyshire people are resilient, they stick together, they support each other and as a result they become champions.”

One of the DIS athletes, Jessica Turner, 400m hurdler, said: “Being an athlete is my job. I have been doing it since I was 8yrs old. Every competition is an opportunity to do the job that I continually train for and so finding out that the competitive season (including the Olympics) is cancelled is like someone saying you have no work.

“As an athlete, I have learnt how to manage set backs and stay focussed on what I can control. For me, this means concentrating on the training that I can do and so that when the time comes to compete I will be ready, ready to win.”