After huge success for Britain at the World Trampoline Championships, hosted on home soil for the first time in over a decade, British Gymnastics sets its sights on Paris 2024 and the forthcoming prospects for the sport.
Sarah Powell, CEO of British Gymnastics, explains how she aims to propel the sport to new heights, both from a participation and commercial standpoint, aspiring for trampolining as a sport to emerge as a leading force on the global stage.
Can you tell us about your career journey so far?
Sport has always been my passion. I captained the Welsh Hockey team, winning over 70 caps and representing Wales at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
Since then, I’ve worked on the executive side of sport. I joined British Gymnastics in October 2021 from Sport Wales where I had been CEO since 2012 – the first woman to hold the position.
I’ve held numerous board roles, with the likes of Ryder Cup Wales Limited and more recently as the Chair of the Women’s Equality Network Wales, where I campaign for women’s rights and led the call for a Wales free from gender discrimination and I am now a Trustee of parkrun global.
How would you describe the current state of trampolining in the UK?
Trampolining in the UK is in an exciting place. As seen by our results at the World Trampoline Championships, the elite squad is in really good shape. I was so pleased to see that aside from the competition, the gymnasts were soaking up the experience of being a team and representing their country. There was a real sense of pride, comradery and enjoyment amongst squad members, and that’s the real win for me.
At grassroots level, trampoline membership is continuing to increase with diverse representation and we’re doing everything we can to support continued growth. ’
What needs to happen for trampolining in the UK to reach the next stage of its growth?
Trampolining in the UK has seen a huge uptake in recent years, and our elite gymnasts are constantly pushing the boundaries of the sport. We’re investing in our facilities and overall gymnastics offering, giving more people more opportunities to take up the sport in clubs, leisure centres and schools. It’s also important that we continue investing in our learning and development offering to ensure our gymnastics workforce is fully equipped to give aspiring gymnasts the best possible experience. We also need to welcome innovative ideas and formats with greater use of technology and other countries looking at more freestyle/urban trampolining outdoors.
What does it mean for the sport in the UK to have recently held the World Trampoline Championships in Birmingham?
Having a World Championships on home soil was truly special. We had more than 1,000 gymnasts from over 40 participating federations competing across eight days of competition. Hosting the competition gave us the opportunity to celebrate the athletes and spread the positive impact sport can have.
I’m particularly proud of the outreach initiatives we’ve held in Birmingham. We held a Rise Gymnastics Competition with Birmingham school children to introduce them to our sport and invited students from across the city to attend the Worlds for free. Local trampolining clubs will receive state-of-the-art equipment from the event, and we’ve trained over 150 new ‘Love to Move’ instructors, who will deliver our seated gymnastics programme to older people and people with dementia throughout the community.
Credit: British Gymnastics
What were some of the standout moments from the tournament?
It was an exceptional week of gymnastics with incredible performances from all our gymnasts so it’s hard to pick one moment.
Bryony Page becoming the 2023 World Champion was a magical moment, as was witnessing the women’s DMT team win our first ever gold medal in the discipline.
Seeing the whole team unite their skills, passion, and experience to top the medal count was brilliant, and seeing Laura Gallagher’s return to the sport after giving birth was a joy.
Birmingham will be in the history books as host of the first Junior World Trampoline Championships, providing the next generation with a platform to compete on the world stage, show their talent and make memories to last a lifetime.
How important is it to have a poster person in Bryony Page?
Bryony is an amazing role model. Her talent and love for trampolining has greatly impacted the trajectory of the sport.
Bryony’s success has inspired young people all over the country to try the sport.
Speaking with gymnasts at the Worlds it became clear how much Bryony is looked up to for her experience, work ethic and achievements, and she’s been pivotal in fostering a supportive culture amongst the team. Bryony has always been a great ambassador; she understands the power she holds as one of the best trampolinists in the world and will always make time to speak with aspiring young gymnasts.
Credit: British Gymnastics
What are your hopes for Paris 2024?
Paris 2024 is going to be sensational. We’ll be supporting Bryony in her quest to win another Olympic medal. Izzy Songhurst and Zak Perzamanos finished in the top eight which gives us great confidence heading into Olympic year, while we have a formidable team of gymnasts set to compete in the artistic gymnastics competition as well.
Aside from competition success, my main hope is that all gymnasts enjoy every experience that comes their way in Paris. I want our athletes to come away feeling fulfilled and proud of representing their country and their sport at the Olympics.
Credit: British Gymnastics
What is British Gymnastics’ plan for the sport in the years to come?
With ‘Reform ’25’ in motion, and more interest in our sport than ever before, the future looks incredibly bright.
We’ve made key appointments this year to help drive our ‘Leap Without Limits’ vision forward. With new directors joining our Learning & Development and Welfare & Safe Sport departments, we’re united in our mission of creating uplifting gymnastics experiences for all. We’ve recently launched our #BeTheChange campaign that promotes the safety of everyone involved in gymnastics.
Our vision outlines how we’re going to grow the sport by modernising our approach to make gymnastics easier for deliverers to run, increasing capacity and capability so that more people can benefit from gymnastics, and further developing a culture of ‘performing well’ across the high-performance programme.
The ambition, dedication, and passion of the clubs right across the country and the team at British Gymnastics, fills me with every confidence that our growth strategy is not only creating a strong foundation for our sport to progress but also puts British Gymnastics as a world leader.
LEAP WITHOUT LIMITS: GYMNASTICS’ NEW VISION
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