England Roses star Joanne Harten has today been announced as a key member of the Team England Athlete Ambassador programme, which will see Commonwealth Games England (CGE) work closely with 30 English athletes in the build-up to the Gold Coast Games.
Commonwealth Games England’s President Denise Lewis is leading the programme and will work with Ambassadors from a range of Commonwealth sports.
Denise Lewis, President of Commonwealth Games England and former Olympic, European and Commonwealth champion, said:
“We are delighted to have a great selection of some of England’s greatest, and most promising, athletes involved in the Team England Athlete Ambassador programme. We will work with them and their sports to raise the profile of Team England and create excitement for the nation ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“Jo is a fantastic athlete. Her experience will also be vital in helping Team England prepare for the Gold Coast Games in just over 500 days’ time.”
The Team England Athlete Ambassador programme was unveiled at Commonwealth Games England’s Annual General Meeting in London today.
The Athlete Ambassadors will support CGE to raise the profile of Team England and its values, develop a strong Team England ethos amongst athletes, the organisation and the nation, and prepare Team England for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Harten, who has won Commonwealth bronze said:
“For Netball, we view the Commonwealth Games as one of our biggest competitions and is our chance to shine on the global stage.
“To have been named a Team England Athlete Ambassador is a huge honour and I look forward to working with CGE ahead of the 2018 Games.”
Commonwealth Games England also today revealed at its AGM detailed plans that are in place to create the best performance environment for Team England to deliver success for the nation at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
As part of its plans to send the best prepared team to the Gold Coast, CGE will hold a Team England preparation camp in Australia, create a dedicated performance centre inside the Commonwealth Games Village, offer a full programme of support services and send a team of around 600 athletes and staff, in what will be England’s largest ever sporting team to represent the nation abroad.
Team England at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games will include around 400 athletes who will compete in 18 sports, including 38 para medal events in what will be the largest ever para-sport programme.
The Team England Athlete Ambassadors announced today are:
Athletics – Niamh Emerson
Badminton – Lauren Smith
Beach Volleyball – Chris Gregory & Jake Sheaf
Boxing – Frazer Clarke
Cycling – Evie Richards
Diving – Freddie Woodward
Gymnastics – Kristian Thomas & Mimi Cesar
Hockey – David Ames, George Pinner & Sam Ward
Lawn Bowls – Ellen Falkner & Paul Brown
Netball – Joanne Harten
Rugby Sevens – Phil Burgess, Tom Mitchell
Squash – Laura Massaro & Nick Matthew
Swimming – Aimee Willmott & Ollie Hynd
Table Tennis – Will Bayley
Weightlifting – Zoe Smith & Ali Jawad
Wrestling – George Ramm
