CGI (TSX: GIB.A)(NYSE:GIB), is pleased to announce ten up and coming UK athletes will receive financial awards through its partnership with SportsAid as part of CGI’s on-going commitment to supporting young sporting talent in England, Scotland and Wales. The young athletes aged between 15 and 27, who compete in sports including athletics, disability athletics, gymnastics and cycling will receive a SportsAid award from CGI to support their athletic goals.
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 provides towards the teams and the athletes involved. The financial award will help these young athletes to fulfil their potential by covering essential training costs, travel and competition expenses.
Among those who will be receiving the award is Thomas Beeley, 16, who last year won the British Summer Championship gold medal for 200m butterfly and has been ranked number one in Britain for the sixteen-year-old age group. “The SportsAid award will allow me to continue to train in the best possible conditions and travel for international competitions, bringing me a step closer to achieving my sports goals,” he said.
Tim Lawler, Chief Executive of SportsAid said, “CGI is providing recognition and financial help to these young athletes at a key time. They are some of the nation’s brightest sporting prospects and for them to know that an organisation like CGI is backing them – helping them when they need it most – is a huge boost. Travelling far and training hard is part of an athlete’s life and the support from CGI will make a big difference.”
Tim Gregory, President of CGI in the UK said, “Here at CGI we are committed to helping the UK’s young sporting talent and we look forward to working with these young athletes on their journey to achieve sporting success and, ultimately, to help Team England, Scotland and Wales achieve more medals. The qualities that sport helps to foster in young people are important whether they go on to be professional sportspeople or indeed have a career in business.”
The full list of all ten athletes who are benefitting from CGI’s support for SportsAid this year are:
- Alexander Chantler-Mayne (Triathlon) 17 from Gloucester
- Amelia Montague (Gymnastics) 15 from Chessington in Surrey
- Molly Kingsbury (Disability Athletics) 14 from Reading in Berkshire
- Naomi Ogbeta (Athletics) 17 from Salford in Greater Manchester
- Thomas Beeley (Swimming) 16 from Aberdeen, Scotland
- Kelsey Stewart (Athletics) 19 from Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire
- Conner Morrison (Disability Swimming) 18 from Turiff in Aberdeenshire
- Matthew Bush (Disability Athletics) 27 from Neyland in Pembrokeshire
- Oscar Mingay (Cycling) 15 from Cardiff
- Lauren Williams (Athletics) 18 from Caersws in Powys
These young athletes will follow a great list of successful athletes who were previous beneficiaries of SportsAid awards including Mo Farah CBE, Sir Chris Hoy, Jessica Ennis-Hill CBE, Sir Bradley Wiggins and many other successful sportsmen and women. The patron of the charity is Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge.
For more information on CGI’s sponsorship, visits http://www.cgi.com/uk/sportsaid
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, 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 C$20 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Website: www.cgi.com
About SportsAid
- SportsAid is the only national charity (#1111612) of its kind - helping young British sportsmen and women who aspire to be the nation's next Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth or world champions since 1976.
- SportsAid provides these athletes with financial support and recognition as they’re starting out in their sporting careers. The charity is supporting 1,200 athletes - the vast majority aged 12 to 18 - in 2016. The typical value of a SportsAid Award is £1,000.
- These athletes are the UK's brightest prospects. Each year, they are nominated to SportsAid by the national governing bodies of more than 60 sports. Most of them receive no funding, other than that from SportsAid, which means they rely heavily on their parents for support.
- Athletes supported by SportsAid feel balancing the different areas of their lives and access to funding are the two biggest challenges they face. The SportsAid Award they receive helps towards training and competition costs including transport, accommodation and equipment.
Patron
The charity's Patron is Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge. Since 2013, she has spent time with young athletes supported by SportsAid, and previous beneficiaries of the charity’s help, at fundraising events, training days and performance workshops. Her support is helping to take the charity’s message further than was ever possible before.
SportsAid Alumni
SportsAid has supported tens of thousands of athletes during the critical early stages of their careers over the last four decades. These include….
Jessica Ennis-Hill, Tom Daley, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Mo Farah, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Hoy, Steve Redgrave, Ellie Simmonds, Paula Radcliffe, Seb Coe, Steve Cram, Greg Rutherford, David Weir, Laura Trott, Matt Pinsent, Christine Ohuruogu, Amir Khan, Nicola Adams, James DeGale, Luol Deng, Ben Ainslie, William Fox-Pitt, Dina Asher-Smith, Mark Cavendish, Amy Williams, Shelley Rudman, Sally Gunnell, Fatima Whitbread, Kelly Holmes, Jonathan Edwards, Denise Lewis, Katherine Grainger, Rebecca Adlington, Sarah Storey, Leon Taylor, Ade Adepitan, Louis Smith, Max Whitlock, Roger Black, Steve Backley, Jonny Peacock, Lizzy Yarnold, Adam Peaty, Morgan Lake, Amber Hill, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Duncan Goodhew and Sharron Davies.
London 2012
Almost two-thirds of the British teams at London 2012 were former – and in a few cases current – recipients of SportsAid’s support, winning 20 Olympic and 27 Paralympic gold medals between them.
Glasgow 2014
At the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games more than 450 of the athletes competing were previously supported by SportsAid, with 241 of them winning medals.
For more information
Jenny McGowan
UK External Communications
jenny.mcgowan@cgi.com
+44 (0)7771 815428
