20 February 2009

UKA are the first National Governing Body (NGB) of sport to formally confirm their partnership investment with the English Institute of Sport (EIS). This ensures that continued world class sports science and medical services are delivered within the Athletics  World Class Performance programme leading up to and during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The partnership sees UKA retain their investment in sports science and sports medicine with the EIS, building on a strong relationship of collaboration between the two organisations over the last 5 years.

“We are delighted that our ongoing partnership with UKA will continue over what will be an exciting and challenging few years” says EIS Regional Director David Tillotson, who has worked closely with Neil Black, Head of Sports Science and Medicine for UKA on the agreement.

He added, “This is testimony to the good work done by practitioners in the previous Olympic and Paralympic cycle, but also reflects that we have looked hard at ourselves in order to face up to the performance and operational challenges leading into 2012.

“The EIS and UKA have been keen to retain and develop practitioners, focus delivery on more specific performance impacts, whilst still leaving the newly arriving UKA Performance staff with some flexibility to review and refine support levels and objectives.”

Aiming to consolidate the existing support services, delivered around the fourHigh Performance Athletics Centres and key networked sites, the agreement secures 28 posts within the EIS. Of these posts, 43% will be secured for four years up to 2012, with a further 43% secured for one year, with the remainder on a shorter scale, to allow flexibility for the new coaching and performance staff joining this year.

UKA Chief Executive Niels de Vos said:

“We have developed an excellent working relationship with the EIS over the last few years and they have been responsive to the evolving needs of athletics under the new leadership of Charles van Commenee and Peter Eriksson. We share the same objectives of getting British athletes to the start line in London in optimum shape and look forward to enhancing our partnership as we move towards 2012."