Our vision is to transform sport for the benefit of every woman and girl in the UK. We have a specific and unique role to play in working to achieve our ambitious vision, but we cannot achieve it alone.
Alongside our supporters across the UK, we have a fantastic patron – Becky Adlington – who is supporting the UK’s leading voice on women’s sport.
Ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Women in Sport named four-time Olympic swimming medallist, broadcaster and pioneering sport entrepreneur, Rebecca Adlington as its first female Patron.
In her voluntary role as Patron, Becky supports the charity’s work to drive positive change from within the sport sector; making sport more accessible for women and girls, encouraging more women to choose sport as a career and to increase the visibility of women’s sport, in the media and in everyday life.
Becky competed in four Olympic finals, winning two gold and two bronze medals at Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012 respectively, and is a World, Commonwealth and European gold medallist. She was awarded the OBE in 2009.
Since retiring from competitive swimming in 2013, Becky works with and mentors elite athletes and the next generation of Olympic medallists. She has also set up her own learn to swim programme for children – Becky Adlington Swim Stars – which aims to see every child in the UK leave primary school being able to swim at least 25 metres. More than 5,000 children per week across the UK are now learning to swim through Becky’s programme.
Becky said: “I am so pleased to be able to support the vital work being done by Women in Sport to transform sport for the benefit of every woman and girl in the UK. As an athlete, and as a mum, I know first-hand how important it is for young girls in particular to have strong role models in their lives to encourage them to take part in sport. I hope that through speaking out in my role as Patron, I will be able to make a positive difference to the way women and girls experience sport, from the field of play to the boardroom. I’m delighted to represent this fantastic charity and looking forward to encouraging as many people as I can to support our work.”
