Get Out Get Active (GOGA) Tayside is a collaboration between NHS Tayside and Scottish Disability Sport and is dedicated to providing fun, free & inclusive physical activity opportunities where people of all abilities can be active together. Funding for the programme has been successfully secured for a further two years with special thanks to Tayside Health Fund. This evidences the collective support and action needed to help address the Public Health priority of a physically active Scotland and to continue strengthening links between physical activity and health.

In line with the renewed support, GOGA Tayside have now launched their brand-new website which will make all information available at the click of a button. The site will feature weekly timetables, class information, testimonials, meet the team and so much more. There are also a range of photos and new videos which will let you see what to expect at any GOGA activities before coming along.

The website is available NOW at www.gogatayside.co.uk.

Thank you to everyone at SDS for their continued support of the GOGA programme in Tayside. We have a further 23 months of funding and very much look forward to continuing our successful partnership working together, especially encouraging more people of all abilities to be more active together.

We are looking for a new full-time Project Officer to develop and deliver our Glasgow based work. The successful candidate will have a key role in supporting our work to improve equality & human rights for LGBTIQ+ people in Scottish sport. Would you like to:

• coordinate and deliver our programmes to the LGBTIQ+ community in Glasgow and surrounding area improving equality, and health and wellbeing through access and participation in sport and physical activity
• work with our national club network to support club and community development, playing a key role in delivering Festival Fortnight and other national level collaborative activity
• develop and drive specific initiatives and networks such as Football v Homophobia Scotland

If so, we want to hear from you.

Full information can be found on the LEAP Sports website here.

The closing date for applications is 18th August 2023 and interviews will be held on 28th-29th August.

Scottish athletes took to the stage at the World Athletics Championships in Paris between the 8 and 17 July 2023. The championships were a great success for the Scottish athletes who won 8 medals across the competition. Gavin Drysdale started the medal haul at the event with a gold in the T72 100m which was also a European record in 16:66. Samantha Kinghorn, who was also the team co-captain, medalled in each of the events she raced in and also broke a championship record in the T53 100m in a time of 15:93. Maria Lyle from East Lothian medalled in both her events, winning bronze in the T35 100m and T35 200m, making a great come back on the last 50m of the 100m. Ben Sandilands from Fife won gold in the T20 1500m in his first international debut with an impressive run, also achieving a new championship record. Team mate Owen Miller finished the T20 1500m in 7th position and Steven Bryce in 13th position – again competing in his first international competition. Huge congratulations to all of the athletes, coaches and support staff involved. The full results can be found here: Paris 2023 Para Athletics World Championships | Live Results (paralympic.org)

World Para Athletics Championships

Sammi Kinghorn (Borders)

• T53 – 400m SILVER (52:53)
• T53 – 100m GOLD (15:93)
• T53 – 800m SILVER (1:44:98)
• T53 4 x 100m relay – SILVER

Maria Lyle (Lothian)

• T35 200m – BRONZE (31:01)
• T35 100m – BRONZE (14:76)

Gavin Drysdale (Ayrshire)

• T72 100m – GOLD (16:66)

Ben Sandilands (Fife)

• T20 1500m – GOLD (3:52:42)

Owen Miller (Fife) – 7th

Steven Bryce (Glasgow) 13th

*Photo credit to Scottish Athletics*

Scottish players Kayleigh Haggo and Alex Medley competed in the Disability Sport Wales Team and Pairs Competition on 12 and 13 July at the LC2 in Swansea.

Kayleigh was competing as part of the BC1/2 Boccia UK team with David Smith and Reshad Saraj. Alex was playing in a BC1/2 team with English players Zoe Barnes and Soleil Palmer.

The BC1/2 Boccia UK Team finished top of the round robin winning an impressive 4 out of 4 matches. The England/Scotland BC1/2 team finished in 5th place with Alex as team captain. Alex, Zoe and Soleil only met for the first time just before the competition so it was fantastic to see them work as a team and enjoy the experience.

Thanks to Disability Sport Wales for hosting a fantastic competition.

Scottish Boccia player, Tyler McLelland from Fife, comes home from the World Youth Boccia Championships with a Gold medal!

17-year-old Tyler was selected to compete as part of the Boccia UK team at the Championships in the individual and pairs competition held in Povoa. Tyler played with team mates Sophie Newnham and Harrison Smith from England. Tyler and Sophie took to the court with Harrison supporting as a substitute. The pairs first match was against Portugal which they won 3-1 in a tight game. The final saw the pair take on Brazil where Tyler and Sophie were 3-1 down going into the last end. Tyler and Sophie played some excellent shots which resulted in a tiebreak match where the Boccia UK pair came out on top and won the gold medal.

Well done to Tyler, his team mates and all of the support staff who helped make the championships a great success.

For the first time there will be two Brits in the men’s wheelchair singles semi-finals at The Championships, Wimbledon, after Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid secured straight sets wins over former champions Gustavo Fernandez and Joachim Gerard on Wednesday at the All England Club.

World No.2 Hewett beat Belgian world No.3 and 2021 champion Joachim Gerard 6-3, 6-4 to earn his first victory over Gerard in five matches on grass and begin his quest to complete the career Grand Slam.

After losing out to Gerard in three sets last month at the LTA’s cinch Championships, Hewett kept his composure to close out their latest encounter and last year’s Wimbledon runner-up will now play Spain’s Martin de la Puente on Thursday for a place in this year’s final. He said:

““It was pure relief at the end – I’ve played him a few times now on grass and he’s always seemed to get the better of me. It’s one of those mental demons that you want to get over the line at some point – this was a great opportunity to do it against such a great grass court player.”

Reid put together 11 points without reply on his way to the first set against 2019 champion Fernandez and withstood all that the Argentinian could offer in a tough second set to wrap up a 6-4, 6-4 victory that earns him a semi-final against world No.1 Tokito Oda.

The winner of the inaugural men’s wheelchair singles title in 2016, world No.8 Reid, said:

“I had to dig myself out of a couple of holes in the second set, but I’m really pleased with my performance and it’s a good start to build on. This is the Slam where I come in feeling the most confident as I feel good on the grass, and the support that we get as British players gives you extra energy.”

Elsewhere, Lucy Shuker’s bid to reach a first Wimbledon women’s singles semi-final ended in a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 loss to her doubles partner Aniek can Koot of the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, Andy Lapthorne lost out to world No.1 Niels Vink 6-1, 6-0 and Greg Slade’s Grand Slam tournament debut ended in a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Australian Heath Davidson as British hopes ended in the quad singles.

Thursday’s second day of wheelchair competition will see all five Brits in action again as the focus turns to the men’s, women’s and quad doubles semi-finals.

Photos courtesy of the LTA

Tickets are available for the world’s largest sporting event for blind and partially sighted athletes, which is making its UK debut this summer.

The 2023 International Blind Sport Federation (IBSA) World Games – sponsored by RNIB – are being held across Birmingham and other regional venues between August 18-27.

Around 1,250 blind and partially sighted athletes from 70 countries are competing in 10 sports – three of which include men’s blind football, men’s and women’s goalball, and judo which are qualification tournaments for the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Ticket details

Tickets can be purchased now via www.ibsagames2023.co.uk/tickets – which also provides more details about ticketing for each sport.

The three Paralympic qualifying sports – which are men’s blind football, men’s and women’s goalball, and judo – are the only ticketed events, with all other sports open to the public to attend for free without needing to book.

Tickets grant all-day access to one sport, providing spectators with the chance to watch multiple matches across men’s and women’s goalball, men’s and women’s blind football or judo each day.

Prices for ticketed events range between £5 for concessions, to £25 for adults. Official support workers or guides will be able to accompany a paid ticket holder for free.

Sallie Barker, Chair at British Blind Sport, who are the host federation, said: “The IBSA World Games has a crucial role to play in demonstrating to the general public the elite standards that blind and partially sighted people compete at.

“This is underlined non-more-so than the inclusion of three Paralympic qualification events at this year’s World Games.

“I would encourage as many people as possible to buy their tickets for these events, as the money will go towards helping to stage what is an historic event for the UK and sport for blind and partially sighted people across the world – and will hopefully leave a legacy by levelling the playing field for blind and partially sighted people across all areas of society.”

Detailed schedules and team draws for each sport will be released closer to the start of the tournament and announced on www.ibsagames2023.co.uk and World Games social media channels.

Birmingham is hosting the seventh edition of the World Games following a successful joint bid between British Blind Sport, Birmingham City Council, Sport Birmingham, UK Sport, and the University of Birmingham.

Photos courtesy of Goalball UK

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) are the governing body for the sport of boccia and will be delivering a Level 1 Boccia Coach Award course between September – November 2023. The course will be a mixture of online and practical learning, with the practical sessions based in the East of Scotland.

The course will provide the knowledge and expertise required to coach players of all ages and abilities in the sport. The workshop outcomes are listed below:

• Planning and preparation
• Effective communication and demonstration skills
• How to give appropriate and constructive feedback
• Evaluating activities
• Understanding of boccia and coaching principles

The cost of the course is £250 per person.

Register online here, or for more information please contact Caroline Lyon on 0131 317 1130 or admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Level 1 Boccia Coach Award