Pupils go for gold with EMAT Olympic day ahead of Paris 2024

More than 500 pupils came together yesterday (Wednesday) for a huge celebration of sport ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Learners from East Midlands Academy Trust schools competed in the fourth annual EMAT Olympic Day, supported by GB Olympians, which took place at Corby Athletics Stadium and gave pupils the chance to compete in a range of track and field events.

This year EMAT welcomed four additional schools to the event – Wollaston School, Bozeat Primary School, Irchester Community Primary School and Cogenhoe Primary School.

They were joined by special guest, Olympian Tessa Sanderson CBE, who spent the day speaking with the competitors and sharing her Olympic story with them. Javelin thrower Tessa competed in six Olympic Games, winning her gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 and becoming the first black woman to win gold for Team GB.

Tessa said: “This is an absolutely fabulous day and I wish I had something like this when I was at school. It was my PE teacher who first spotted that I had talent and so I very much hope that there might be some children here today who have that same potential.”

The event was live streamed on the EMAT YouTube channel for parents and classmates to watch online and was hosted by Sky Sports presenter Dave Fulton and 12 students reporters from Northampton International Academy, Prince William School and Wollaston School. The students took part in a media training day with Dave ahead of the event to learn interview techniques and commentary skills.

The day started with an opening ceremony featuring the schools’ Olympic flags. Pupils were invited to enter a competition to design their school’s Olympic flag with the winning designs chosen by GB Olympian chair and bronze medal-winning sprinter Joslyn Hoyte-Smith. The event ended with the presentation of trophies to the winning primary and secondary schools – Northampton International Academy (primary) and Prince William School in Oundle.

EMAT chief executive Joshua Coleman said: “This has been an incredible day for our pupils, who have thoroughly enjoyed this unforgettable experience to compete in front of an Olympic athlete.

“Tessa is an inspiring character, showing what can be achieved with resilience and hard work, and I hope our pupils will take that away with them.

“We are extremely grateful to have a unique partnership with GB Olympians and, with our event already in its fourth year, we expect next year’s event to be even bigger and better.”