The Open University

Gregg and rowing partner Lauren wearing Team GB kit, smiling at the camera with Paralympic Gold medals around their necks.

‘The OU empowered me to learn my way,’ says Paralympic Gold medallist Gregg Stevenson

18 September 2024

On the back of his incredible gold medal race with rowing partner Lauren Rowles, Sports, Fitness and Coaching graduate Gregg Stevenson took time out of his celebrations to share his inspirational story with The Open University community. After a traumatic incident when serving as a Royal Engineer Commando, Gregg struggled to come to terms with […]

Field of dreams? How some professional cricketers continue to pay the price for sporting excellence

27 August 2024

Helen Owton, Lecturer in Sport and Fitness, The Open University What comes to mind when you think of cricket? Perhaps it’s an idyllic scene of an English village green – people sitting on deckchairs and checkered blankets tucking into a traditional cricket tea while watching mild-mannered players in sparkling whites shouting “howzat?!” every now and […]

New OU/BBC documentary looks back at the career of Linford Christie

22 July 2024

A new OU/BBC documentary ‘Linford’ looks back at the extraordinary career of one of Britain’s most successful athletes, Linford Christie. Airing on 25th July at 8.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer, ‘Linford’ delves into the life of the man who was once the most feted athlete in Britain until his career closed with a scandal […]

FIFA Safeguarding Diploma scores success

30 May 2023

The FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Sport Diploma, which was developed with experts including academics from The Open University, to strengthen and professionalise safeguarding standards in football, is proving to be a soaring success with almost 90 learners from 70 countries attending the first ever in-person residential workshops. In a milestone moment for the programme, the […]

Three women from the England football celebrating their win

Top 5 ways to champion women in sport

22 September 2022

Serena Williams’ recent announcement that she is stepping down from professional tennis as the sport isn’t conducive with being a mother, has highlighted one of the barriers that women face in the industry. Women and girls, taking part in sport and fitness at all levels, from elite performers to those attending a weekly fitness class, […]

Tennis player, Serena Williams waving at the crowd

Serena Williams: why many female athletes feel pressure to retire after becoming mothers

23 August 2022

Candice Lingam-Willgoss, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Fitness at The Open University writes for The Conversation about the pressures women face having to choose between being a mother or continuing their athletic career. Serena Williams has announced she’s retiring from tennis. During her career, the 40-year-old has often been hailed as the best female tennis […]

Beijing Olympics: Why Pakistan is sending one athlete and eight ministers to the winter Games

7 February 2022

By Dr Filippo Boni, Lecturer in Politics and International Studies at The Open University There may be a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics by a number of western countries, including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, but Pakistan is sending a high level delegation. The prime minister, Imran Khan, and […]

OU/BBC co-pro reveals the fiercely competitive world of elite figure skating

3 February 2022

A fascinating look into the competitive world of figure skating comes to our screens this weekend, on the newly re-launched BBC Three. Freeze: Skating on the Edge, is an Open University/BBC co-production that follows young athletes from across Britain over the course of a year, as they battle through skate-offs, qualifiers and international competitions to […]

New BBC/ OU co-pro ‘Nowhere to Run’ available to watch on iPlayer

21 September 2021

A new programme co-produced by the BBC and The Open University (OU) explores broadcaster, Charlie Webster’s journey to uncover the truth about her past, when she and her friends from a Sheffield running group were abused by their coach. Nowhere to Run: Abused by Our Coach, is an hour-long special programme available now for streaming on […]

Close-up of a golf ball and a man putting

OU research informs development of new golf athlete monitoring app

27 July 2021

Informed by Open University (OU) research, a new golf monitoring app has launched, which is designed to offer in-depth athlete analysis as well as research insight. The AMI Sports: Golf app enables golfers to track their training, practice, tournaments and daily wellness measures to provide insights to optimise their performance and reduce the risk of […]

OU News

Category: Sport