This week’s Team of the Week celebrates perseverance and the power of inclusion.
UK Sport and Paralympics GB continue to be at the forefront of protection and encouragement for their participants, whilst Joe Root and Jeffrey Guan show that you can pull off incredible feats even in the face of doubt.
Joe Root
Cricket Great - we can say that now, right?
The boy’s finally gone and done it. After all the talk, the doubters and Aussie jibes, Joe Root has scored his first century in Australia. Root’s former team-mate, Sir Alastair Cook, said: "Even Australia will have to admit he's a great now”. The Aussies have maintained that Root can’t be considered a great without a Test century down under, well the second-highest run-scorer in Test history has done it now.
Jeffrey Guan
Partially blind pro golfer
Last year, the Aussie made his first PGA Tour Event and was seemingly on track to climb the ranks at pace. Then, in late 2024, he was struck by a ball at a Pro-Am event resulting in him being permanently blind in his left eye. Several days in intensive care, a year of rehab - which included a doctors recommendation to play video games to help his coordination - and Guan is back. Despite thinking he may not be able to play again, he's competing in the Australian Open this weekend, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott. He's not off to a flying start, but making it back to this level in the first place is an incredible achievement.
Paralympics GB
Breaking down barriers
New research from Paralympics GB shows that those who engaged with the Paris 2024 Paralympics are 64% more likely to feel confident being active, more than double the reported figure pre Paris 2024. The report highlights a real opportunity for schools, communities and policymakers to build on this momentum and use inclusive sport to drive lasting, positive change.
UK Sport
AI protection for athletes
UK Sport has signed a contract worth more than £300,000 to provide AI-based protection against online abuse for British Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The funding body has agreed a deal to give thousands of athletes access to an app that detects and hides abusive posts sent by other users on social media. The software, Social Protect, uses artificial intelligence to ensure athletes see as few abusive messages as possible.
