Training camp brings Commonwealth athletes and coaches to Birmingham

Para athletes and coaches from around the world are taking part in a special training camp at the University of Birmingham – designed to boost their development in the run-up to the next Commonwealth Games and beyond.

With the focus on powerlifting and table tennis, participants from 23 Commonwealth countries will spend 10 days at the global GAPS camp for an intense period of training, competition and personal development – the largest such training event of 2024.

Delivered in partnership with the Commonwealth Games Federation, the camp provides emerging athletes and coaches with enhanced skills, knowledge, and resources.

The event gives University of Birmingham sports experts the opportunity to align research projects to the camp, with researchers launching a two-year study exploring GAPS impact on the athletes as they prepare for the 2026 Games. Another study will explore the benefits of ‘person-centred coaching’ in readying athletes for competition.

Commonwealth Games Federation President Dr Chris Jenkins OBE commented: “The Commonwealth Sport GAPS programme is an amazing initiative and the embodiment of our commitment to facilitate social change through the power of sport.

“It drives hope and motivation and builds pride and a powerful sense of identity amongst both athletes and coaches, and critically, it changes perceptions, and the way people view disability and ability throughout the Commonwealth.

“I know that participation in the global GAPS camp in Birmingham this week, will ensure the para-athletes and coaches, no matter their circumstances, feel empowered to reach their full sporting potential.”

The GAPS programme aims to build inclusive sport pathways - driving positive social change whilst strengthening Commonwealth values, cultures and bonds.

Griffith University and the Commonwealth Games Federation launched GAPS in 2016 with a pilot to prepare Pacific Island athletes for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Australia.

The programme expanded to other Commonwealth regions, with training camps hosted at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, the University of Birmingham in the UK, and on Australia's Gold Coast for Oceania participants.

The programme has continued to grow and GAPS camps have been held this year on the Gold Coast, Australia (February) in partnership with Griffith University and in Kingston, Jamaica (April) in partnership with the University of the West Indies.

University of Birmingham GAPS organiser Katie Cronin, from the School of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation Sciences, commented: “The University of Birmingham played a major role in Birmingham 2022 - hosting events and sponsoring the Games. We are delighted to contribute to the legacy of these Games by welcoming athletes and coaches from around the world to our campus.

“As well as equipping Para athletes and coaches with the skills and resources to take them to the next commonwealth Games and beyond, the GAPS camp offers researchers at Birmingham a unique insight into how the programme is supporting these participants and creating pathways to success.”