The Great Britain luge team has become the latest Olympic Winter sport team to officially adopt the University of Bath as a training base, it’s been announced.
A number of British luge athletes have already been training at the Sports Training Village and the announcement strengthens the bonds between the University and the GB Luge Association.
Under the agreement Britain’s luge athletes will use the facilities at the Sports Training Village, including the Team Bath Gym, and will also receive sports science and medicine services through the Physio and Sport Science Centre.
The agreement means the University now has strong links to all three of the sliding sports that feature at the Olympic Winter Games, with both British Skeleton and British Bobsleigh having their headquarters at the Sports Training Village.
Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport at the University of Bath, said: “I’m delighted to be able to officially welcome GB Luge’s national development squad to the University of Bath.
“We’re proud to play a part in supporting British winter sport teams and athletes that train at the University, and I’d like to take this opportunity to wish the luge athletes a successful and productive season.”
Tor Gullan, Performance Director of the Great Britain Luge development squad and a University of Bath graduate in Manufacturing Systems – Engineering & Management, said: “Formalising the arrangement between the University of Bath and the Great Britain Luge Association is a significant landmark in the development of British Luge.
“As a Bath Alumnus, I am particularly delighted to be working with the University of Bath. We have been working with Team Bath and the Department of Mechanical Engineering now for nearly two years, developing the future luge talent of Great Britain in what I believe to be the finest facility available, with a group of professional people who are absolutely key to the development of our athletes and sport.
“We are tremendously lucky to enjoy this special relationship with Team Bath and we aspire to follow in the footsteps of British Skeleton as we pursue our goal of qualification for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyongChang.
“More immediately, we are all looking forward to seeing how our athletes perform on the ice this season.”
