Loughborough Product Design & Technology students deliver new ideas for Inclusive Sport Products

George Torrens and Russ Marshall stood with ISPDH Winning Students

Dr George Torrens, Ziang Ni, Emily Zhang, Jack Brocklehurst, Prof Russell Marshall

Students showcased their creativity and problem-solving skills in the Inclusive Sports Product Design Hack 2024–25. From innovative equipment to imaginative experiences, the competition highlighted what’s possible when design meets accessibility.

The inaugural Inclusive Sports Product Design Hack 2024–25 design competition awards provided many new ideas for use within inclusive sports. The ten shortlisted designs ranged from a low-cost multi-purpose activity mat to a virtual reality experience of being a giraffe.

Competition organiser Dr George Torrens expressed his appreciation and said:

“Sports Charities have kindly contributed their time and experience to produce meaningful design briefs about the challenges faced by many people who wish to do a sport or activity. The ten shortlisted projects provide a showcase of just what may be possible to make at home in a garden shed, or just raising awareness of things thought impossible to do.”

He went on to say:

“We are very grateful for the support provided for the JLR Shine [dis] Ability Network for their Awards for the overall winners in each category brief.”

The JLR Shine [dis] Ability Network Awards involved the team from JLR Shine, the Sports Coach judges, and a Public Vote. Over a two-week period, the public vote generated nearly 700 responses for the ten shortlisted designs.

3 Loughborough Students stood holding their certificates

One of the award winners, Zackery Yates, a second-year student on the BSc Product Design and Technology programme, said:

“I really appreciated the opportunity and I can’t wait for more to come.”

Zack's design involved a cooling system that could be made at home for athletes and sports people who experience a condition called autonomic dysreflexia (AD), which affects the autonomic nervous system and disrupts the body’s natural cooling mechanisms.

Congratulations to all award winners, including; Emily Zhang, Jack Brocklehurst, Jiayi Li, Hanju Seo, Chongzi Wang, Yihong Liu, Zackery Yates, Ziang Ni, Yuehua Li, Yiyang Chen.

Next year the competition will be expanded to a total of six briefs and nine different categories. The 2025–26 competition will be announced online on 15 September 2025.