Latest news: Universities impact on Olympics

New analysis of the Olympic Games shows that over the last 20 years 61% of Team GB medallists have been to university. 02/05/2012

The report, Olympic and Paralympic Games: The impact of universities, has been released as part of Universities Week - an annual campaign designed to increase public awareness of the wide roles of UK universities.

At the last Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, 64% of British medal winners had been to university, compared to 66% at the previous Games in Athens.

At London 2012 the trend looks set to continue. By mid-April, 59 members of Team GB had been selected, 59% of which had attended university or are currently in higher education. This includes 24 out of the 38 swimmers and 8 of the 11 sailors.

Chief executive of Universities UK, Nicola Dandridge, said, ‘It is inspiring to see that university athletes lead the way for Team GB medallists. This demonstrates the strong links between university and sports.’

Karen Rothery, chief executive officer for British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) said, ‘Over the last five Olympic Games, university supported Team GB athletes have consistently performed better/best in the medals table, showing the impact that universities make on our athletes.’

To download the full report head to Universities Week – Media.