Graduate David Carpenter is so proud that the Olympic Games are being held in London this year that he has joined the ranks of tens of thousands of London 2012 Games Makers who are volunteering to help make the Games one of the most exciting sporting events in the world.
As well as this behind-the-scenes involvement, David has also helped to lay the foundations for re-defining home-grown talent.
David was the driving force behind the creation of the National Lottery Sports Fund which resulted in millions of pounds of investment in sport from grass-roots through to elite performance.
As its director from 1994 to 2003, David led a strategy which was to transform sport, ultimately seeing Britain leap from mediocrity to fourth in the Olympic medals table and second in the Paralympic table.
He led investment in regional facilities, the creation of world class performance programmes for elite athletes, and the establishment of the English Institute of Sport to develop technical expertise.
He modestly says: “Athletes win medals not bureaucrats like me, but the right environment has to be created.”
The University was one of the regional centres that seized on the new opportunities created by David’s Sports Fund strategy, with a £30 million project to develop our Sports Training Village.
“There has always been an entrepreneurial spirit at Bath and the University put itself forward when a step change was needed.”
“It’s been a base for high level performers for the past 15 years and that is a fantastic contribution to Britain’s sporting success.”
David discovered and developed his passion for sport during his student days in the 1970s. He was the first sabbatical Athletic Union President and worked on developments that included the first sports hall, swimming pool, and sports pavilion. He was also very involved in the organisation of British Student Sport.
David believes that Britain will host a very good Games. “The way the East London site has developed is quite remarkable,” he said. “They have done an absolutely remarkable job which has almost been taken for granted.
“The legacy of holding the Games will be a huge feel good factor. There will obviously be the built legacy that comes from having staged the Games, but people will be able to look back on hosting the Olympics as a real highlight.
“It’s interesting that when you ask people why they are volunteering they say ‘this will be a highlight of my life. When the Games were awarded I felt I had to be involved.’ And I would say the same.”