The Duchess of Cambridge attended one of SportsAid’s regular Athlete Workshop today in London. Last year, she attended the event and it was a huge success – images of new mummy Kate spiking a volleyball in her 5-inch Corkswoon wedges are now iconic. More importantly, her attendance at the event shows her support and raises awareness for SportsAid’s projects.
“SportsAid provides financial support to young athletes between the ages of 12 and 18 who show promise for Olympic or Paralympic success for Britain. These young athletes can qualify to receive aid if they train more than 15 hours a week, travel more than 650 miles a month to compete, and spend more than 6,400 pounds each year on their sport. Athletes can be nominated by their sports’ governing body based on performance and potential. Around 1,500 athletes are chosen to receive aid. SportsAid does this because it is difficult for an athlete at that age to gain a sponsorship and most need some kind of financial support in order to continue training and competing in their sport. SportsAid wants to provide financial support to the athletes and “for the future of British sport.””
During the event, Clarence House tweeted that “The Duchess of Cambridge is a keen sportswoman and believes sport has the power to engage, education, inspire, and change lives for the better.” With her passion for athletics, Kate chose to become SportsAid’s Royal Patron in April 2013. She is known to be very athletic and active, keeping up with her exercise and active lifestyle even during pregnancy. The Duchess of Cambridge enjoys playing field hockey and tennis as well as rowing, skiing, running, biking, and hiking. Her support of young athletes allows her to work with Britain’s youth while sharing with them her love for sports.
Today, the Duchess of Cambridge met with 30 young athletes who are training for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. The athletes are taking part in a number of advanced performance assessments to evaluate their athletic performance.
The workshop was hosted at GSK’s Human Performance Lab, which “carries out research with elite performers – athletes, sports teams, extreme explorers – to better understand how the body and brain function. This allows its scientists to help develop improved training, recovery, nutrition and competition programmes for partners. In return the research helps GSK develop consumer healthcare products and informs wider GSK research.”
Kate wore a plum colored dress by Goat. The “Vreeland” dress is a light crepe fit-and-flare- style. According to the website, “the collar and buttons on the top combined with the belted waist and skirt create an uncomplicated yet complimentary shape. The dress has buttoned cuffs, a self belt with colour matched buckle, and concealed side zip closure.” Interestingly, Kate chose to wear flat suede boots to the event – a new pair, different from her Russell and Bromley Charge It boots. Her new boots are the “Halfnhalf” style from Stuart Weitzman for Russell and Bromley. They are described as a knee-high alternative to the iconic 50/50 style. She carried a matching black suede clutch by Stuart Weitzman, called the “Muse” clutch. Her accessories were simple – the Duchess chose stunning sapphire drop earrings. A glossy blowout finished the look.
[…] The Duchess of Cambridge Attends SportsAid Athlete Workshop 2014 […]