Sporting achievements

Recently I met with Peter Holmes from Sport England to discuss ways to promote sport in the city and increase levels of sporting participation.

Wolverhampton boasts a magnificent sporting heritage with three Olympic gold medalists from Kenneth Hunt in 1908 up to Tessa Sanderson in 1984 and Denise Lewis in 2000. We have also had eight Commonwealth Games Gold Medalists with fifteen medals in total (Kathy Cook in particular was an inspiration for me as a young sprinter). Within the city itself we possess over sixteen sporting clubs and bodies which have over a hundred years of sporting history from Wolverhampton Cricket club (established in 1835) to Penn Cricket club and Penn golf club (established in 1908). 

As some of you may know sport is something that I hold close to my heart, and I feel is invaluable in bringing communities together. Equally the pursuit of sporting perfection and excellence in all fields be they academic or in the arts should always be fostered. I passionately believe that competition and the pursuit of excellence should be instilled in our children at an early age. The fear of failure or the inability applaud others who succeed is causing many of our schools to pursue the route of noncompetitive sports. Drive, ambition and the will to win should not be shunned and stifled, for they alone are the engine of a progressive society and vital for individual human fulfillment.

Paul