S&PAProfessional / Spring 2020
LAST WORD SPORT AMBASSADOR
Etienne Stott MBE, Team GB canoeing juniors coach, Olympic gold medallist and Extinction Rebellion protester says the industry has a powerful voice in the climate change debate
SPORT CAN CHANGE THE WORLD port is an amazing vehicle for empowerment and for people to explore their potential. Itās something I discovered upon retirement, having thought back about how I got into canoeing and realising that it helped me grow as a person. There is a great power involved in this industry. Sport connects people like nothing else, as we saw at our own Olympics in 2012. That was a prime example of people saying: āI wasnāt interested in sports before but I really ng . It speaks to us about found it inspiringā. ind of idea about what this idea this kind human beings are capable of. bout elite sports ā I Itās not just about orts people and believe both sports organisations have a huge inļ¬uence in the lives of the general population. They lay because have a role to play hing with anyone or anything inļ¬uence has a o act in the responsibility to mate and face of this climate meteorological emergency ave because they have power. But we must rememberr that leadership is not telling people what to do, but showing
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people what can be done. Sport has that authenticity and credibility with a lot of people, which means it has a huge role to play in society, and that is part of the reason why I became involved with Extinction Rebellion. Joining the group was driven by this idea of empowerment and learning that weāre all capable of more than we realise. That was perhaps most ap apparent last A April, when I was part of the Extinction Rebellion p protests and ended up ge getting arrested. I was si sitting in the road on W Waterloo Bridge when a po police oļ¬cer demanded that Im move, but I told him āIām not movingā, and then he han handcuļ¬ed me and I was take taken to the police station. Ev Eventually that got to court in January Jan this year, and I was convic convicted with a public order oļ¬ence ence. I got a nine-month conditio conditional discharge, but was ordered to pay costs of Ā£300 for the oļ¬ences. I stand by what I did as I believe it w will impact all of society, including the leisure sector.
Of course, there are consequences for me but itās a small price to pay. Extreme events are already becoming more frequent. For example, our canoeing course in Nottingham, where young athletes train, and where I go canoeing, had to be closed for quite a signiļ¬cant part of the winter because of the ļ¬ooding. Uncontrolled climate change will mean that people will have less chance to enjoy sports and all it has to oļ¬er because they will be busy dealing with eļ¬ects of extreme weather. I believe itās important for athletes and people with voices to use their social power in this time of this emergency. Etienne Stott MBE was interviewed by S&PA Professionalās Graham Simons
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Sport Ambassador_Spring 2020_S&PA Professional 43
23/03/2020 17:10
