We’re proud to help support athletes to success on a British, European, Commonwealth, Olympic and World Stage. Throughout the summer of 2021 University of Edinburgh Students, staff and alumni will take part of range of events and competitions.
Find out more about our Performance Sport Programmes
2021 World Orienteering Championships
Doksy, Czech Republic
3 July to 9th July 2021
Three Edinburgh University athletes will be competing at this year’s World Orienteering Championships in Doksy, Czech Republic. Peter Hodkinson and Alastair Thomas have been selected to represent Great Britain, and Thomas Laraia has been selected for Team USA. Peter will be making his 5th appearance at the world championships, and will be competing in the sprint distance, mixed sprint relay, and forest relay events. Both Alastair and Thomas will be making their senior debuts. Alastair is running the middle distance event and is reserve for the forest relay, whilst Team USA are yet to make their final decisions on which disciplines their athletes will be racing.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics
23 July to 8 August 21
A number of University students, alumni and staff will be following in the footsteps of previous Edinburgh Olympian’s like Dame Katharine Grainger and Sir Chris Hoy.
How the University can celebrate and promote those with a University connection during the Olympics is governed by Olympic by-law Rule 40. This governs the way in which athletes (and their sponsors) can use their image or attributes in advertising (including good luck and celebration messaging) during the Games Period for Tokyo 2020 (13 July 2021 – 10 August 2021).
Find out more about Rule 40 (external link)
Good Luck from our community
Athletes and Support Staff with an Edinburgh connection
2021 Architecture graduate, Audai Hassouna will be representing Libya in the 200m Freestyle in Tokyo.
Competition Schedule
Audai will take part in the 200m Freestyle
Former Olympic Games finalist, double Commonwealth gold medallist and Performance Psychology Masters graduate Caitlin McClatchey will be supporting TeamGB athletes in her role as Athlete Service Manager. Caitlin’s place as one of Scotland’s greatest swimmers, with a glittering international career lasting over 10 years, was recognised in 2016 when she was inducted into the University of Edinburgh Sport Hall of Fame.
Related links
Charlotte Dobson will compete for TeamGB in the Women's 49erFX class. This will be the former psychology student's second Olympics after she competing in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Competition Schedule
Commonwealth Gold Medallist Grace will be competing in her second Olympics following her memorable performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics where she reached the final of the 3m springboard event. Grace is currently studying Applied Sport Science.
Competition Schedule
Grace will compete in the 3m Sync and 3m springboard events on 25 July and 30 July to 1 August respectively.
Diving Schedule (external link)
Related links
Graduate Hollie, recognised as one of the top female referees in the world, has been pre-selected to referee in the Olympic 7's tournament.
University of Edinburgh Sport Hall of Fame Inductee (2020) Sarah, who won world official of the year in 2018-19, will umpire at the Hockey tournament.
Competition Schedule
The Rugby 7's tournament will take place from 29 July - 31 July
Rugby schedule (external link)
The Hockey tournament will take place 24 July - 06 August
Hockey schedule (external link)
Related links
A superb 2021 has seen University of Edinburgh student Lucy Hope pick up four gold medals at the European Championships and secure a place on Team GB for the Tokyo Olympics.
Competition Schedule
Lucy will take part in the 4x100m freestyle event on 24-25 July
Swimming schedule (external link)
Related links
Staff from the University Sport & Exercise Medicine Clinic FASIC will be part of the fantastic athlete support team, without which, the games could not go ahead. Pete and Andrew are working as part of the International Golf Federation and Alastair part of TeamGB.
Medical graduate and University of Edinburgh Sport Hall of Fame Inductee Polly was part of the Silver medal winning eight for TeamGB at the Rio Olympics. She will be racing in the Women's pair with double Olympic Champion Helen Glover, herself making a comeback after taking time out post-Rio to have children. This combination last raced together in 2013, where they became World Champions.
Psychology student Lucy arrived in Edinburgh in 2017 as an under 23 World Championship Gold Medallist. She marked her senior TeamGB debut at the European Rowing Championships earlier this year with a silver medal. Lucy will compete in the Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x).
Bsc Applied Sports Science/Msc Strength and Conditioning Graduate (2016/2018) Maddie started rowing in her first year at Edinburgh in 2012. By 2015 she had made the Great Britain team and won her won her first World medal by claiming Bronze in the LW1x at the 2019 World Championship. Maddie will travel to the Tokyo Olympics as the spare.
University of Edinburgh Alumni and former Edinburgh University Boat Club coach Hamish will coach Polly Swann and Helen Glover in the Women’s pair (W2-)
Competition schedule
Polly Swann will compete in the women's pair event taking place 24 - 29 July
Lucy Glover will compete in the women's quadruple skulls event takin place 24 - 27 July
Rowing schedule (external link)
Related links
Read more about the pathway to success offered by the rowing programme at Edinburgh
BSc (Hons) Sport & Recreation Management Graduate and Commonwealth Games Gold medallist judoka Sarah Adlington will compete in the women's +78kg event.
Competition Schedule
Sarah will compete on 30 July.
Having competed for Scotland in the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, Law graduate Sarah is no stranger to playing on the international stage. Toyko marks the first Olympic Games for the Scotland cap centurion.
Competition schedule
The Hockey tournament will take place 24 July - 06 August
- IPP athlete Seonaid McIntosh talks about her experience of the University of Edinburgh Individual Performance Programme
MSc Performance Psychology student, Seonaid McIntosh currently ranked world number one in the 50m 3 positions rifle discipline, will make her Olympic debut at the Asaka Shooting Range this summer.
Seonaid will be joined in Tokyo by her coach, University of Edinburgh Alumnus and University Hall of Fame Inductee, Donald McIntosh.
Competition schedule
Seonaid will compete in the 10m Air Rifle event on 24 July and 3 x 50m Rifle event on 31 July.
Shooting schedule (external link)
Related links
Graduate Steph qualified for Tokyo by winning the British Marathon trials at London’s Kew Gardens with a PB of 2:27:16 earlier this year.
Competition schedule
The marathon event will take place on 7 August
Chemical Engineering Alumna Zara has been named as one of the reserves for the Team Ireland Women's Hockey Squad.
Sport Science Student Lisa, has been named as the reserve for the GB Women's Rugby 7's squad.
Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
24 August – 5 September 21
Scott is a Paralympic, World and European Medallist as well as the current British record holder for short course 50m and long course 100m Breaststroke (SB14). He heads to Tokyo after competing at both the London and Rio Olympics, where he claimed silver in the (SB14) 100m Breaststroke event.
A member of the Performance Swim Programme at Edinburgh Stephen Clegg heads to his second Paralympics. At the Rio 2016 Olympics, after only 2 years of competitive swimming, he competed across a trio of Freestyle events, as well as the S12 100m Backstroke, which brought him his best result of fifth.
Orienteering World Cup Round 2
Idre, Sweden
12 August to 15 August 2021
The University of Edinburgh will have 5 athletes at round 2 of the Orienteering World Cup in Idre, Sweden, this August. Peter Hodkinson, Alastair Thomas, Fiona Bunn, and Laura King have all been selected for Great Britain, and Thomas Laraia has been selected for Team USA. Fiona and Laura will both be making their senior international debut for GBR. This round of the world cup comprises a middle distance, long distance, and relay events.
2021 Junior World Orienteering Championships
Kocaeli, Turkey
5 to 10 September 2021
Eilidh Campell and Mairi Eades have been selected for Great Britain at this year’s junior world championships in Turkey. Eilidh dominated the GBR trials, taking 2 out 3 wins over the weekend, with Mairi not far behind with a 2nd and 3rd position. Mairi will be making her international debut; she is currently not on the performance programme, so it’s a real testament to her hard-work and dedication. This will be Eilidh’s third call-up for GBR at the junior world championships, although last year’s competition was eventually cancelled due to covid-19. This year’s competition has been postponed from July to September to reduce the risk of further cancellation.