CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB) is pleased to announce its sponsorship of three young British athletes on their journey to The 2018 Commonwealth Games.
- Ashley Bryant, who won a silver medal in the men’s Decathlon at the 2014 Glasgow Games for Team England is competing in the 2016 European Athletics Championships and is currently hoping to qualify to represent GB at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016.
- Laura Halford, a three times senior British Champion rhythmic gymnast who won two bronze and a silver medal in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games whilst representing Team Wales.
- Meggan Dawson-Farrell, a T54 wheelchair athlete who competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games for Team Scotland in the 1500m and 5 days later won Gold in the 1500m at the Junior World Championships.
CGI is the official Systems Integration, BPS and IT Outsourcing partner of Team England, Team Wales and Team Scotland for the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast, Australia, and these sponsorships are an extension of the support and commitment that CGI offers the teams and the athletes involved.
Loughborough based Bryant, who hails from west London, is recognised as one of the hottest prospects in UK athletics and has consistently qualified for major championships in recent years. However, the highlight of his career was winning a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“The biggest use of the money from CGI’s sponsorship is that it’s made the life changing move up to Loughborough a possibility. There is so much expense associated with moving, but the help from CGI meant I made the jump,” said Ashley. ”To say I am grateful for the support is an under-statement; it has been tremendous for me”.
Halford, who has also been crowned British Champion and Welsh Champion three times and represented Great Britain in the 2014 and 2015 World Championships, the 2015 European Championships and three World Cup events during 2015, has her eyes fixed firmly on the future. Her ambitions are to retain the British and Welsh titles in 2016, represent Great Britain at the World Championships in Russia and represent Wales at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
“I am honoured to have been chosen as Wales’ ambassador for CGI. In the run up to Gold Coast 2018, my training will be of paramount importance. My partnership with CGI will help fund new kit, equipment and keep me mobile as I train 32 hours per week, whilst studying for my degree in Sport and Exercise Science,” said Laura. “CGI’s support will be instrumental in helping me to achieve my dream of being chosen to represent Team Wales at the next Commonwealth Games, and hopefully step onto the podium in 2018.”
Dawson-Farrell is an extremely accomplished racer and holds the Scottish T53 record for 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10000m and marathon. She achieved 7th place in the 2014 Commonwealth Games 1500m T54 wheelchair race and gold in the 1500m World Juniors 2014. Her ambition is to compete in the 2016 European Championships as well as the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“CGI’s support is such an honour and a huge help towards achieving my goals,” said Meggan. “It means I can travel to the right level of competition to qualify and prepare for Gold Coast 2018, with the aim of doing even better than in Glasgow. It’s so exciting to be chosen for this sponsorship, it will make such a massive difference.”
“Our support of these athletes and the respective teams is very exciting for everyone here at CGI in the UK.” said Tim Gregory, UK President, CGI. “As an organisation we are committed to supporting professional development in our own areas of expertise and it has been great to extend this further into the sporting arena through this sponsorship. We encourage our own members to live healthy and active lifestyles through a number of initiatives and this sponsorship is an exciting way to bring this to life for our members”.
Activities such as blogs, webcasts and visits by athletes, coaches and nutritionists will are helping CGI’s members develop awareness of the benefits of exercise and wellbeing. These activities tie into CGI’s existing global health and wellness programme - Oxygen, which provides a range of health-related services and resources to CGI members worldwide.
CGI also sponsors ten up and coming athletes through the charity SportsAid, with each being given a SportsAid Award of £1,000. The funding enables these athletes, across both disabled and able bodied sports, to overcome the number one barrier that they face - the cost of their sport. The investment helps them with essential training, travel and competition costs to ensure they have the backing and recognition they need to succeed.
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is the fifth largest independent information technology and business process services firm in the world. Approximately 65,000 professionals serve thousands of global clients from offices and delivery centers across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, leveraging a comprehensive portfolio of services, including high-end business and IT consulting, systems integration, application development and maintenance, and infrastructure management, as well as a wide range of proprietary solutions. With annual revenue in excess of C$10 billion and an order backlog of approximately C$20 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB).Website: www.cgi.com.
For more information
Jenny McGowan
UK External Communications
jenny.mcgowan@cgi.com
+44 (0)7771 815428
