IN BRIEF

• Sir Chris Hoy announced as Patron of the Jaguar Academy of Sport and a mentor to Rising Stars*
• Sir Chris identified cycling's medal winners of the future at special event in London
• Jaguar Academy of Sport committed to developing talented young athletes and has announced its 50 Rising Stars* for 2013

IN DETAIL

03 May 2013. Following his retirement from competitive cycling in April this year, six-time Olympic Champion Sir Chris Hoy identified potential future Champions in the sport; 14 year-old Sophie Capewell of Lichfield, Staffordshire, and 15 year-old Joe Holt of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.  At the Jaguar Academy of Sport Bursary Awards held in London, Sir Chris Hoy and Dame Kelly Holmes presented 50 Rising Stars in British sport with personal development bursaries of £2,000.00 each, elevating their chances of reaching the top.

In addition to collecting their bursary awards, the Academy's Rising Stars also started the Mentoring and Education Programme (MEP), focusing on media training. Each Rising Star was able to quiz their sporting idols in an exclusive question and answer session with new Academy Patron Sir Chris Hoy and Academy Ambassador Mark Foster, at an event hosted by television presenter and Academy Member Natalie Pinkham.

Rising Star cyclists Sophie Capewell and Joe Holt were able to soak up Sir Chris's experiences and advice, hoping one day to follow in his footsteps and represent TEAM GB at future Olympic Games. The knowledge shared was invaluable to the young cyclists who are hoping to compete at Rio 2016.

The Academy, now in its fourth year, has awarded 185 bursaries to date and by the end of 2013 will have invested £600,000 in the future of British sport. This support has made a significant difference to the Rising Stars development pathway with a high proportion of athletes moving on to elite funding, and pushing for success at world-class level.

Sir Chris Hoy, Jaguar Academy of Sport Patron said:"I'm delighted to now be a Patron of the Jaguar Academy of Sport. It is encouraging that a brand the size of Jaguar is demonstrating its commitment to the future of British Sport in this way. I'm sure we will see some of our Rising Stars competing at the highest level very soon. I look forward to supporting them over the course of the year through the Mentoring and Education Programme."

David Steele, Jaguar Global Experiential Director said: "The Jaguar Academy of Sport has gone from strength to strength over the last four years and it's great to have our next group of talented young athletes all receiving their bursaries. Jade Jones demonstrated the power of the Academy at London 2012 by winning Olympic Gold just one year after receiving the Jaguar Academy of Sport Star of the Future accolade."

In addition to the essential financial support, the Academy also provides a bespoke Mentoring and Education Programme, delivered by Kelly Holmes Education, that all the Rising Stars automatically join. This programme provides a wide range of workshops over the year focusing on the emotional, physical and psychological elements the young athletes need to work on, to one day emulate their heroes, many of whom are existing Patrons and Ambassadors of the Academy.

Dame Kelly Holmes, Jaguar Academy of Sport Patron said: "Mentoring and education support for young athletes is so important and it's fantastic that Jaguar is continuing its investment and we are welcoming another group of Rising Stars onto the programme. As a team we are really looking forward to getting to know them over the course of the year and beyond as they continue to progress in their sporting careers. We hope to see some of them even competing at the 2014 Winter Olympics and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games next year."

The 50 Rising Stars of 2013 were chosen after a rigourous selection process conducted by SportsAid, the UK's national charity for young sports talent, which administers the Bursary Fund on behalf of the Academy. The Patrons and Ambassadors of the Jaguar Academy of Sport are some of the nation's most successful sportsmen and women - including Jonny Wilkinson and SportsAid alumni Sir Steve Redgrave and Jessica Ennis CBE - and they were also integral to this process.

Tim Lawler, Chief Executive of SportsAid said: "SportsAid is proud to work with the Jaguar Academy of Sport to help the next generation of British sporting talent and we look forward to many more years together as the programme continues to grow. Success in sport takes a huge amount of dedication and commitment and the Academy plays an indispensable role in nurturing this. The athletes have a lot to gain from being part of it."

These talented young athletes represent a total of 22 different sporting disciplines, from cycling to speed skating including able-bodied and disabled athletes who are based across the UK.

(ENDS)

Aimée Hancock

Jaguar Brand Communications Officer

T: 02476 564156

M: 07557 540612                    

E: ahancock@jaguarlandrover.com 

Carla McAlpine

Jaguar Academy of Sport

T: 020 72879610

M: 07718 897803

E:  carla@influenceassociates.com

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Website: www.jaguaracademyofsport.co.uk  

The support the Jaguar Academy of Sport has provided has made a significant difference to the Rising Stars development pathway, with 33 per cent of the 2010 Rising Stars and 30 per cent of 2011 Rising Stars moving on to Talent Development Pathway Funding.

The Jaguar Academy of Sport has received 'Highly Commended Status' from the Marketing Society Awards 2012, recognising the work it is doing to support the next generation of British sporting talent. 

*How to become a Rising Star

To be eligible for the Jaguar Academy of Sport Bursary Fund, young athletes, both able-bodied and those with a disability, should be nominated to SportsAid for financial support by their sport's own national governing body (NGB). This ensures the Jaguar Academy of Sport helps to support the right athletes, at the right time, in the right way.

Who are the Patrons, Ambassadors and Members of the Jaguar Academy of Sport?

Patrons: including Sir Chris Hoy MBE, Sir Ian Botham OBE, Sir Steve Redgrave CBE, Gareth Edwards CBE, Denise Lewis OBE and Dame Kelly Holmes DBE, MBE, our list reads like a 'who's who' of British sporting legends. Now they are working together, united in one goal - to nurture the next generation of British sporting greats.

Ambassadors: a selection of Olympic gold medal winning athletes, European Champions League winning footballers and  rugby legends including; Rio Ferdinand,Colin Jackson CBE, Jessica Ennis CBE and Jonny Wilkinson OBE.

Members:include Sam Warburton and Sally Gunnell OBE to name but a few. These members are amongst the leading sports personalities who are dedicated to helping young people emulate their success through the Academy.

Jaguar Academy of Sport 2013 Rising Stars

About SportsAid

• SportsAid is a national charity with Royal patronage that works with the national governing bodies of more than 70 sporting disciplines to identify young sportsmen and women who show great potential. The charity, established in 1976, also works closely with Sport England and UK Sport.
• Typically aged 12 to 18 the athletes supported by SportsAid aspire to be our next Olympic, Paralympic or world champions and are among the UK's brightest hopes for future sporting success. The SportsAid Awards they receive are funded by the charity's partners and donors and recognise their achievements by helping them to meet the high costs of training and competing, which are more than £6,000 a year per athlete.
• At London 2012 almost two-thirds of the British team were former recipients of SportsAid's support, winning 20 of Team GB's 29 gold medals and 27 of ParalympicsGB's 34 gold medals.
• SportsAid is a registered charity (1111612). For more information visit www.sportsaid.org.uk, follow @TeamSportsAid on Twitter, contact the charity on Facebook, or sign up to receive its monthly newsletter. SportsAid's patron is Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.

Kelly Holmes Education

Website: www.kellyholmes.co.uk/education

Patron Dame Kelly Holmes and her team at Kelly Holmes Education deliver the Mentoring and Education Programme (MEP) with a skilled workforce of specialist tutors and speakers.

The programme is a collection of themed Talent Days and Workshops which support the Rising Stars to overcome a number of obstacles they may encounter during their sporting career.

Topics covered include:
External Influences on Performance Seems to be a space in here
Presenting Yourself to Sponsors
Looking After your Body for Life
Being World Class
Financial & Life Planning
Building a Successful Team
Celebrating Success