Sports Management Q2 2012 - Leisure Opportunities

Tom Aggar won a gold medal in the Single Scull rowing event at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic GamesFrom Left: Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt talks to Tim and a Paralympian GB’s sitting volleyball programme was re-instated for London 2012and I have been refining the way theBPA is structured and governed and havebeen putting processes in place so wecan develop the skill sets of BPA staffand make the most out of this year’sunique opportunity.”Regarding Games-time preparation,Hollingsworth says the BPA has left nostone unturned and he has, in fact, ‘fallenon his sword’ to ensure the team’s success.“I took the decision not to be the ChefDe Mission at the Games [a role often takenby the CEO]. I believe that this role callsfor a different skill set. With me cominginto this environment only recently I’vebeen fortunate to identify and secure theservices of Craig Hunter, who led the teamat the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Dehli,for that role.“He’s been a life-long sports administratorin swimming. He has the rightvalues, the right attitude and the rightapproach to life and his experience isfantastic in terms of what a Games-timeenvironment is like and how it willimpact on our athletes.“Between us we’ve considered everythingaround the pre-Games andGames-time environment as far as maximisingperformance and getting ourathletes on the starting line in the bestpossible shape. Our job is to protect themand challenge them where needed.”SPREADING THE WORDAs host nation, the BPA has a role todeliver to the expectations of visitinginternational Paralympic teams, as wellas its own. The Paralympic Movementstarted as a competition for World War IIamputees at Stoke Mandeville Hospital,which coincided with the 1948 LondonOlympics. The Paralympic Games officiallyjoined the Olympic roadshow in Rome1960 and the movement keeps growing.According to Hollingsworth, the BPAneeds to fully capitalise on London 2012’sfantastic opportunity to grow the brand,and that making this a reality has beenmonopolising the majority of his timesince joining the organisation.“We need to secure and maximisethe future of parasport after London. Idon’t like to refer to this as ‘legacy’ becausethat word suggests some sort ofaftermath, a high-water mark, that oncereached is maintained thereafter. That’snot the case with Paralympic sport. It’s avery young movement and our strategy,going forward, is about maximising the‘momentum’ and not saying ‘that’s thatand what can we do off the back of it’;It’s much more than that, it’s a fantasticdoor opening to many opportunities.”To this end Hollingsworth has beenformulating a strategy that demonstratesleadership for the 2012-2017 period, towardsRio 2016 and beyond.“To put it simply, it’s about ensuringthat we have a mission which is clearlydefined around the athletes and ourrole in delivering and supporting them,Issue 2 2012 © cybertrek 2012 Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 19