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UEL celebrates first Sports Awards

Tuesday 4 May 2010

Ade Adepitan

The University of East London celebrated sporting excellence at a prestigious ceremony held at West Ham Football Club's Upton Park stadium on Friday.

The event, which acknowledged sporting achievements at UEL through six categories, including the International Excellence Award and the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Service to Sport, took place in the presence of members of the West Ham first team and distinguished athletes Ade Adepitan and Christine Ohuruogu.

Wheelchair basketball player Adepitan, who picked up the Lifetime Achievement award at the ceremony, represented Great Britain in both the Athens and Sydney Olympics and hopes to do so again in 2012. Ohuruogu, meanwhile is the current 400 metres Commonwealth and Olympic champion, taking Gold in the 400 metres event in Beijing.

UEL's 200 metres star Jeffery Lawal Balogun picked up an award for international excellence, while Club of the Year, sponsored by West Ham Football Club, was awarded to UEL Football Club.

Ade Adepitan said: "I was really honoured to be given the Lifetime Achievement award at the UEL Sports Awards and would like to congratulate all of the sportsmen and women from the university who were also recognised this evening. It's fantastic to see the university take its sport so seriously and make the most of its unique location, so close to the Olympic site.

All my life I dreamed of becoming an Olympic athlete. I remember training really hard in the East End of London but being disappointed that we didn’t have the facilities, which is why I think what UEL is trying to do is fantastic and really want to support the university because of the facilities that they’re going to create here in East London".

David Cosford, Director of Sport at UEL said: "Obviously I am extremely pleased for the UEL students to be recognised officially for all their tremendous efforts and determination throughout the year. Our sporting landscape is now very different to what we had 7 months ago, we have gold medallists, we have league winners; we have hundreds of students enjoying sport on a weekly basis.

Sport is a big part of University life, and I feel so pleased for our current and future students that it is well and truly here to stay. I feel so proud of our students, and although this awards evening is the end of our sporting year, it is also the start of our sporting future".

University of East London: London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Office

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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