The Olympic Games is the world’s biggest collections of sports, bringing together the best of the best. From swimming, cycling and equestrian, to athletics, sailing, and canoeing, these are just a few of the 32 sports that were featured in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
For some athletes, they get into their sport from a young age, rising through the ranks by their early teens. Whereas for others, they may only pursue a path in sport as a hobby while at university or college.
Whatever their gateway to becoming a sporting champion, it’s safe to say that as a nation, we’re pretty proud of these sporting heroes and their ability to push themselves to their absolute limit in the name of sport.
Which Universities Have Produced the Most Olympians Competing in Paris 2024
With 329 medal events at Paris 2024, here at The Insurance Emporium, we’ve been researching this year’s Team GB Olympians to find out which athletes currently are studying or have attended university.
We’ve then ranked which university has produced the most Olympians heading to Paris this summer to award our Gold, Silver and Bronze podium status to. The results are as follows:
GOLD: Loughborough University
Loughborough University is renowned for its sports. Academically, it has been crowned the best university in the world for sports-related subjects for eight years running by the QS World University Rankings by subject.
Yet, it’s not just sports-related study that helps produce some of the world’s top athletes. The university campus provides an elite training environment to cater to the needs of a whole range of sporting disciplines. The HiPac Athletics Centre is home to British Athletics Performance Institute and the Olympic size swimming pool is home to British Swimming.
Swimming, hockey and athletics in particular make up the numbers when it comes to the sports this year’s Loughborough University cohort are representing at the Olympics.
Some of Team GB’s Paris 2024 hopefuls that make up the Loughborough University lineup includes: Beth Potter, Freya Colbert, Toby Robinson, Annie Campbell-Orde, Jake Wightman, Megan Jones, and Alex Haydock-Wilson.
SILVER: University of Bath
The University of Bath is ranked 8th in the world to study sports-related subjects by the QS World University Rankings by subject, a fourth year in a row the university has been named in the top ten .
Like Loughborough University, the University of Bath also has state-of-the-art sport and fitness facilities at its Team Bath Sports Training Village. The centre caters towards a range of performance sports – with swimming, rowing and the modern pentathlon a few of the sports represented by this year’s cohort at the Olympics.
Some of Team GB’s Paris 2024 hopefuls that make up the University of Bath contingent includes: Tom Dean, Anna Hopkin, Helen Glover, Becky Wilde, Grace Crompton, and Alastair Chalmers.
BRONZE: University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is well-recognised for its credentials in studies related to sport – currently ranked joint 6th in the QS World University Rankings by subject alongside Liverpool John Moores University.
The university boasts world-class fitness facilities on its Edgbaston campus, and with two international standard hockey pitches, it should come as no surprise that the uni’s hockey alumni make up a third of Team GB’s women’s squad this summer.
Some of Team GB’s Paris 2024 hopefuls that make up the University of Birmingham group includes: Rose Harvey, Oliver Morgan, Amy Costello, Flora Peel, Anna Henderson, and Hannah Kelly.
Francis Martin, CEO of The Insurance Emporium, commented: “While everyone’s journey as an Olympic athlete is different, for some, their passion and hard work to make it as an Olympian is born alongside their studies at university. Whether their degree is in a sport-related subject or something totally different, it’s inspirational to hear how these athletes manage to achieve success both academically and in their sporting disciplines.
We hope this year’s Olympic Games inspires the next generation of athletes that could see them represent their country at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles!”
Fun Facts About Team GB’s Paris 2024 Olympians
York’s Finest: Being based in York, we couldn’t overlook our local heroes!
Sam Dickinson – A graduate from Leeds University, Sam was first introduced to triathlon as a teenager and will now compete in the individual triathlon at his first Olympic Games this summer.
Hamish McArthur – Hamish recalls his love for climbing began at his primary school in York. He’s worked hard to establish himself on the global circuit, securing a place on Team GB’s sport climbing squad, boulder and lead, through the Olympic Qualifier Series.
Oldest versus Youngest: Having just turned 16, Sky Brown, who is Britain’s youngest Olympic medallist will represent Team GB in its skateboarding squad alongside 16-year-old Lola Tambling and 50-year-old Andy Macdonald (AKA ‘Rad Dad’). Macdonald will become skateboarding’s oldest Olympian in Paris.
Stateside Study: During our research we noticed that for a number of disciplines Team GB’s athletes travelled to the United States of America to complete their studies alongside their sporting development. Most prominently this covered those in the rowing and athletics categories with Yale and Princeton Universities producing seven athletes in total.
University is an excellent gateway to accessing sports that you perhaps had never thought of trying out. Several universities boast world-class sporting facilities that enable students to pursue their passion whatever it is alongside their academic studies.
If you’re looking to attend University, why not take a moment to consider Student Insurance. With our standard benefits offering cover for Contents and Freezer Food, you can then pick’n’mix your student insurance policy to include optional benefits such as Personal Belongings, Gadgets & Mobile Phones, Valuables, Bicycle, Loss of Keys/Swipe Card, and more!
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