- Date
- 12 May 2010
- Tags
- Singapore 2010 , YOG
Meet Great Britain’s young ambassador for Singapore 2010
Hello! I’m Fergus, the Young Ambassador for Great Britain. My sporting background is as a cross-country skier and ski coach - I’ve been fortunate to compete at FIS Continental Cup level in Europe and the southern hemisphere. I also grew up swimming and playing rugby and cricket, and am now training for a marathon.
My undergraduate degree was in industrial design, and I am completing a master’s degree at Brunel University in London - looking at how designers can learn from sports psychology to create products and provide services that are more motivating and engaging for people to use. I’ve also recently completed some consultancy work with the National Health Service in the UK - co-creating public services that promote physical activity. These services will be launched to coincide with the London 2012 Summer Games and ensure that the Olympics inspire and energise a sustainable legacy of increased sporting participation and physical well-being amongst local people.
It’s a huge honour to have been appointed Young Ambassador and to be promoting the Culture and Education Programme of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. I think, from my own experiences and as my research into motivation and engagement has demonstrated, the idea of sustainability - in all our lives, but especially the lives of young athletes - is incredibly important for ensuring that we are all capable of achieving our potential, in sport and in life! I’m looking forward to helping support the young British athletes and their coaches to achieve their ambitions in Singapore, not just in the sporting competitions but also through the Culture and Education Programme, to ensure that their success as athletes and role models to society is sustainable throughout their whole career. Just as in some of the social innovation projects I have worked on, I see social media as a really valuable tool for helping support the athletes and keep them informed of what they can expect in Singapore. I also see social media as a fantastic tool for enabling people from all over the world to participate in and share the spirit of Singapore 2010 and its celebration of the Olympic values of friendship, respect and excellence.