Director of Sport inducted into the University of Edinburgh Sports Hall of Fame
University Principal Peter Mathieson has formally approved the induction of Jim Aitken MBE into the University of Edinburgh’s much heralded Sports Hall of Fame.
Sports Hall of Fame
Launched in 2008 to honour and celebrate the University’s most distinguished sportsmen and women, the Sports Hall of Fame is open only to students, graduates and staff of the University. To date, we have 44 exceptional sportspeople inductees across 20 sports. The roll-call is awe-inspiring and includes Olympic champions Dame Katherine Grainger (rowing), Sir Chris Hoy (cycling) andEric Liddell (athletics), as well as trailblazing rugby referee Hollie Davidson, hockey stars Sarah Robertson and Sam Judge, and Commonwealth Games greats Caitlin McClatchey (swimming), Shirley McIntosh (shooting) and Eilidh Doyle (athletics).
A lasting legacy
It is impossible to over-state the impact that Jim, who will retire from his position as Director of Sport & Exercise in March 2023, has had on the world of sport and physical activity at the University and across the UK and beyond.
For over 20 years Jim has led and developed the University of Edinburgh’s Sports and Exercise offering to be one of the best in the UK. The University is now consistently ranked in the top 4 for sport in the UK, offers students, staff and the wider community a range of world-class sport and fitness facilities, and has supported countless student athletes to success on the European, World, Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic stages.
The announcement was made as a special surprise by Dame Katherine Grainger at the annual Sport & Exercise’s Festive staff conference on Friday 9 December’22. Jim said:
I’m thrilled beyond words to join the University’s Sports Hall of Fame, and truly humbled. And to receive the University’s highest sporting accolade from the iconic Dame Katherine Grainger makes the honour doubly special. I am indebted to so many people for their help, support and encouragement over the years, but most of all, grateful for the talent and dedication of our students who have helped position Edinburgh as one of the most exciting, pioneering and successful sporting universities in the UK. My induction to the Sports Hall of Fame represents a collective celebration.
Jim becomes the 45th addition to the Hall of Fame and will be formally inducted, alongside another 3 inspiring figures from the world of sport, who will be announced soon, at the 2023 Blues and Colours Awards Dinner.