LRS Oldest Athlete Event

A truly inspirational evening, the first of its kind anywhere in the UK, the Leicester-Shire & Rutland Sport Oldest Athlete Celebration Event was held on Wednesday 29th September 2010 to celebrate the achievements of sports people, volunteers and physical activity participants from across Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.

Leading the way for sport and physical activity, Leicester-Shire & Rutland County Sport Partnership honoured 4,177 years worth of physical activity and sporting participation from 53 nominated active older people from across Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland. Local past, present and future Olympians were also present, sharing their experiences, motivations and ambitions with the hundred guests in the audience, responding to questions posed to them by children from Mountsorrel Primary School.

This event, which now looks set to become an annual celebration of our most senior, highly motivated and physically active members of our local community was a most humbling experience, where it was impossible not to be touched by the shared experiences; Geoff Oliver, aged 77 and winner of the Judges Panel Special Award, last weekend ran 103 miles in a gruelling 24 hour race; just shy of his own World Record. 50 years of passionate coaching, officiating and mentoring of young swimmers from Jill Stidever MBE, at 73 years of age the winner of the Volunteer Award. The star of the show and crowned as the ‘Oldest Athlete’, Pat Ward from Loughborough was delighted to tell the assembled audience how everyone should keep active and do exercise they enjoy, perhaps following her example of swimming most days at 98 years young.

The winners were selected from 53 nominees by a panel of judges who had the unenviable task of choosing the worthiest from an extensive list.

LRS Oldest Athlete Event has been granted the prestigious London 2012 Inspire Mark, the badge of the London 2012 Inspire programme which recognises exceptional and innovative projects inspired by the 2012 Games.