Dame Kelly Holmes Trust launches partnership with British Athletes Commission to ensure athlete welfare

Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and British Athletes Commission have launched a partnerships ©Dame Kelly Holmes

The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust have announced they have launched a partnership with the British Athletes Commission (BAC) which will focus on their common goal of ensuring athlete welfare.

The BAC, the members' association representing the interests of high-performance athletes in the United Kingdom and the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, a charity who aim to support athletes as they make the transition from sport, believe the collaboration will help to make a significant contribution to improving athlete performance.

Additionally, the organisations believe their partnership will help retain more high performance athletes at all levels of sport when they come to the end of their careers.

“As a retired athlete myself, I know how lost you can be when you transition from sport, as all you’ve ever known your whole life is that end goal, that medal,” said Adam Whitehead, former Olympic swimmer and now athlete manager at the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust.

“The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust is committed to supporting athletes through this transition, and that’s why it’s fantastic to work with partners like the BAC who really share that vision.”

Both organisations are aiming to support athletes and their welfare — Both the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and British Athletes Commission are aiming to to help with athletes welfare ©Getty Images

As part of their collaborative work, both organisations will be encouraging athletes to stay in sport and mentor other athletes when required, working closely with other stakeholders in this field.

The two organisations are aiming to put athletes at the heart of their work with The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust’s flagship programme "Get On Track" having helped to support athletes to make the transition from competitive sport, by enabling them to use their skills to provide mentoring for disadvantaged 16 to 25-year-olds.

Similarly, the BAC launched an online service called "Athletes Direct" in February, which has the aim of preparing athletes for the transition by bring elite competitors together with schools, colleges and business.

As the organisations are aiming to help with athlete’s personal and social development, as well as using the athletes for social good, chief executive of the BAC Ian Braid believes the partnership is a positive one for the athletes.

“The partnership between the BAC and Dame Kelly Holmes Trust is an important one which has been built on the basis that we are both athletecentric,” he said.

“This joint partnership enables our athletes to work with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust on a wide range of projects which will help them to prepare for life outside of both sport but also within senior roles within sports administration.”