McColgan ‘Gives Back to Track’
Young female Scots athletes and clubs set to benefit from new project
Scottish Olympian and multiple national record holder Eilish McColgan has launched a project designed to support both young female athletes in Scotland and community athletics.
‘Giving Back to Track’ is a not-for-profit initiative set up by McColgan and her partner, fellow Olympian Michael Rimmer.
Their goal is to enable children from all backgrounds to enjoy athletics. As the pair write on the project’s website, “Our aim is to encourage kids in Scotland to lead an active lifestyle and to essentially give back to the sport that has given us so many incredible opportunities throughout our careers.”
“No child should be priced out of athletics, so our hope is that Giving Back to Track can be an avenue to provide support to individuals who need it the most – whether that be covering the cost of track facilities, buying training kit or paying for club fees.”
The ‘community athletics’ element of Giving Back to Track will focus first on supporting McColgan’s own club, Dundee Hawkhill Harriers, through funding a free day of athletics, while individual support will be offered to five young Scottish females through scholarships.
Applications to the scholarship scheme are open to girls and women of all abilities aged 16–22 who compete in track and field or running.
Scholarships will last for one year and include funding for travel and competition expenses, a Polar GPS watch for training, ASICS clothes and shoes for both training and competition, sports food and drink – and the priceless support of McColgan herself.
As the programme develops, McColgan and Rimmer hope to extend their support to more clubs in Scotland.
Believing strongly that ‘no one should be priced out of sport’, the pair are also hoping to work with Dundee Hawkhill Harriers and Dundee City Council to create free athletics days at Caird Park Stadium.
Image: Eilish McColgan (twitter)