Katherine Grainger On Russia’s potential participation in Paris
The Chair of UK Sport – the organisation that is responsible for the high performance sports system in Great Britain and Northern Ireland – has said that sport needs to recognise the international outrage following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and act accordingly.
Dame Katherine Grainger, an Olympic gold medallist in 2012, was speaking to ‘Great British Bosses’ produced by Anything but Footy. The conversation was recorded for a special 50th edition of the podcast which offers ‘The behind the scenes conversation of British sport.’
Asked by hosts John Cushing and Michael Weadock about whether Russia, or Russian athletes competing as neutrals, should be allowed to compete at Paris 2024, Dame Katherine told the podcast,
“The neutral flag has never felt particularly neutral, because we still see Russian flags in stadiums. I’ve seen that myself. The Russian athletes will often feel very proud of Russia, and we know sport is used as a showcase of force, of success and of pride in that country. It feels very uncomfortable that a nation at war could still be celebrating success on a global stage. Although many people say politics shouldn’t be in sport, it feels that when wars are happening, you can’t pretend sport can be immune to that, and you have to be honest with the role it can or should play.”
Great British Bosses was launched in early 2020 with the aim of speaking with the men and women who have roles as leaders in British sport. Guests have included Chief Executives, Managing Directors, Performance Directors and Head Coaches. Organisations which have participated include Team GB, The British Paralympic Association, British Athletics, Sport England and The Commonwealth Games Federation.
A third of the guests have been female leaders in sport. They include Swim England’s Chief Executive Officer Jane Nickerson who reflected on her episode,
“I was pleased to contribute to the Great British Bosses series to share my experiences as a female leader in the sporting world. It’s been a fantastic series and I have definitely taken learnings from many of the other individuals featured and hope that sharing my story has equally helped others.”
James Hope-Gill, the Chief Executive of Skateboard GB also participated, recording his interview at The English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games. He said,
“I really enjoyed the experience of being on Great British Bosses and the opportunity to share more about the work and culture we have at Skateboard GB. As a leader in an organisation, it is often good to reflect on your achievements as well as your challenges and to have conversations with well-informed interviewers like John and Michael. I’ve also really enjoyed hearing in other episodes from the bosses in our sector about the work they are doing, their career path and style of leadership. I’ve learnt something new by listening to every conversation. It’s a great resource for those in sports leadership or aspiring to be.”
Great British Bosses is now in its fourth season and joining Dame Katherine Grainger in this current run is Paul Buxton (GB Taekwondo), David Pond (Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby), Greg Baker (Boccia UK) and Yuri Matischen and John Timms (World Games) amongst others.
Dame Katherine also told the podcast about her excitement and expectations ahead of the next Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris,
“It’s the first time since London 2012 the Games are coming back to Europe. The first time in our own zone and climate. There’s an advantage for our athletes. It’s more familiar and accessible, and there'll be more home support travelling. But, we shouldn’t be over confident. It’s France’s home games. We’re just neighbours popping over!”
Dame Katherine Grainger can be heard on the 50th episode of Great British Bosses from Anything but Footy - out today (13/02/23)
