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Photo of Kate Wigham with her daughter in the stands at the Netball semi-final in Birmingham

Image: Kate Wigham with her daughter at the Netball Semi-Finals

Staff cheer on athletes at Commonwealth Games with winning tickets

As part of the University’s celebrations for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, a handful of staff were lucky enough to receive free tickets to attend some of the spectacular events across the 12 days in Birmingham.

Last month, colleagues from Grades 1-5 were invited to enter a ballot led by Loughborough Sport to win two tickets for one of four events.  

There were eight winners in total, who were as follows: 

  • Athletics and Para Athletics: Kate Swift and Justine Anthony 

  • Rugby 7’s: Naomi Tan and Anne Courtenay-Smith 

  • Netball: Vicky McAtee and Kate Wigham 

  • Cycling track and Para track: David Taylor and Andy Gomez 

Kate Wigham, Mental Health Practice Lead from the Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Team commented: “I took my daughter to the semi-final on Saturday and she loved it. It was an amazing atmosphere - thank you again for an amazing experience.” 

IT Support Officer David Taylor said: “I would like to say thank you again to you and your team for making it possible for me and my partner Annette to attend the Commonwealth Games. We had a fantastic day; the atmosphere was palpable. It was very hot in the Velodrome due to people’s excitement, especially when it was England’s turn to compete!”  

Naomi Tan holding a flag in stands at Rugby 7's stadium at the Commonwealth Games
Image: Naomi Tan, a PhD Student in Geography and Environment and Research Assistant for the Climate Compatible Growth programme 

More than 120 Loughborough-linked athletes – current students, alumni, those that train at the University, and Loughborough College learners – appeared in Birmingham, representing 11 different countries. At the end of the Games yesterday (8 August), it was confirmed that if Loughborough University was placed as a country, it would have finished in sixth place on the medal table – with 14 gold, 17 silver, and 16 bronze medals.  

Visit the University’s dedicated 2022 Commonwealth Games website to find out more about Loughborough’s success at the event.  

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