By Chris Holmes- 28 August 2009
 

I was 16 when I went to my first Paralympic Games in Seoul, 1988, as a member of the swimming team and it really was an unbelievable experience.

By Larry Eder - 19 August 2009
 

This is my eighth World Championships that I have covered as a member of the media. I am fascinated with how the events are marketed and how competitors try to get their piece of the action.

By Larry Eder - 6 August 2009
 

Jesse Owens is an American phenomenon.

A gifted athlete, a man of his times, At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Owens was thrown into the middle of a propaganda war between democracy and fascism, in a world still fatigued from the first Great War.

By Tom Degun - 21 July 2009
 

Seeing the iconic Usain Bolt for the first time is an experience that I will not soon forget. The fastest man on the planet was ironically five minutes late today for the 11:00am press conference in London to publicise his appearance in the Aviva London Grand Prix on Friday, but that did not appear to bother the assembled media in the slightest. On the contrary, there was a clear buzz of excitement when it was announced that the triple Olympic gold medallist was making his way to the room.

By Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson - 13 July 2009

I was delighted to be asked to be involved in the work of the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation because having been through the system, I recognise that there are many challenges and barrier that women face, both in terms of participation, and getting in to coaching.

By Mike Rowbottom - 4 July 2009
 

Watching Boris Johnson in mayoral action, it is hard to resist the impression of a man playing a part with increasing daring and conviction.

Yesterday at UK Sport we issued the outcomes from the latest Mission 2012 reports from our Olympic and Paralympic sports. This reflects the end of the period of review and consolidation faced by the high-performance system post-Beijing, and a refocus on competition as the long and winding road to London begins in earnest.

I think it also reflects, arguably for the first time, that sports understand and accept what we’re seeking to achieve through the Mission and how it can help them achieve their aspirations in 2012 and beyond.

Before I explore this further, a quick history lesson is probably worthwhile. Mission 2012 was established 18 months ago essentially to try and maximise the unique opportunity afforded to us in the shape of a home Games. Three times a year we ask sports to provide a self-assessment of their operations across three core areas, namely athlete performance and development; the performance system that sits behind the athletes; and the climate and culture within the sport. These assessments are reviewed by a panel and traffic light gradings are agreed.

This level of analysis is unprecedented and, as with anything that’s new, it’s taken a little while to bed in. The past 18 months or so has been a learning curve for us and the sports. In particular, we’ve had to work hard to build trust in the process to ensure that sports can gain the most from it.

In a nutshell, Mission 2012 was established with one simple aim – to determine how UK Sport and its partners can truly make a difference on the ground and embed world-class athletes, systems and culture right across Britain’s high performance sporting network. To make a difference we need to know what challenges the sports are facing – that’s where the trust comes in. Sports needed to be sure that flagging up a ‘red’ would be seen as a cry for help, rather than an admission of failure or risk to funding.

That brings us back to the present day and that increased level of understanding I referred to earlier. I’m encouraged, and indeed excited, by what the sports are now telling us and the level of openness and honesty we’re seeing in their submissions. I’m sensing a real understanding across the sports of exactly what is meant by ‘world-class’. This is an essential first step in recognising what you’re striving for and any gaps between that and how you’re currently performing. If that means flagging up a red and asking for help, so be it. That’s what we’ve asked sports to do and that’s what we’re starting to see. Better to put the hand up now so we can provide a solution that to be in denial until it’s too late.

This is a hugely positive step forward and is where the Mission can really start to make a difference because a ‘red’ in one sport might be mirrored by a ‘gold’ in another. That’s the next step and the reason for my excitement. By getting sports to work together, share best practice and learn from each other we’ll be well on our way to providing a lasting legacy in the shape of a fully sustainable and genuinely world-class high performance sporting system.

The world of sport is an unpredictable beast and success is never guaranteed. However, we made the world sit up and take notice in Beijing and I genuinely believe the direction in which we’re travelling in the UK will take us to an even higher level of performance.

Peter Keen is the director of performance at UK Sport, having joined them in 2004. He was formerly coach to Olympic champion Chris Boardman, and was instrumental in creating the Lottery funded World Class Performance Programme for British Cycling which saw the GB team move from 13th to fourth in the world rankings between 1998 and 2002.

By Leigh Hine - 29 June 2009
 

The most significant legacy of the London 2012 Games will be the shape of the sporting landscape in the UK once the "Greatest Show On earth" has moved on.

By Tom Tresser - 24 June 2009
 

On Monday morning, June 15, three people stepped off the train at the Lausanne train station. Three people had travelled seven zones from the west to come to the home of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to deliver a simple message. “Chicago does not want or deserve the 2016 Olympic Games.”

By Colin Houlson - 23 June 2009
 

Katie Price. Jordan. Mother. Model. Wife. Reality TV contestant. "Singer". And now, Olympian?

By Larry Eder - 19 June 2009
 

It was reported on this website today that an internal audit conducted by the State Council  that the Olympics made a modest profit of 1.16 billion yuan (£88.8 million) off an expenditure of 19.3 billion yuan  (£1.7 billion) and income of 20.5 billion yuan (£1.8 million).

By Adrian Hill - 16 June 2009
 

The accolade of a place in the Olympic Games is so cherished and sought-after that the decision to be made by the International Olympic Committee on which two sports will be admitted in 2016 is not one to be taken lightly.

By Chris Maddocks - 15 June 2009
 

You should write a book – how many people have that suggested to them at sometime in their life? My guess at least, is that most retired international sportspeople will have had that rather teasing, tempting comment thrust upon them by some well meaning friend, relative or mischievous joker who wants to know what really happened, what it really felt like. 
 

By Will Lloyd - 7 June 2009
 

Jose Mourinho is reported to earn around $9 million (£5.4 million) a year as the coach of Serie A football club Inter Milan. Why? Because he’s worth it - or at least his employers think so.