Athletics Open – Saturday 11 June 2022
After an enforced break of two years, Metro Blind Sport are once again hosting the Annual Athletics Open on the 11th June 2022.
Now in its 44th year, Metro Blind Sport will be welcoming athletes of all ages and experience, throughout the UK to join us in London for our annual competition.
Entry is now open for the Annual Metro Athletics Open
The athletics event is the perfect opportunity for blind and partially sighted people to experience what it’s like to take part in a professionally organised athletics event. We have official starters, scorers and judges, as well as a commentary for the event.
If you haven’t tried an event before and want to compete or are looking to improve your performance, then the Annual Metro Athletics Open is the place for you. Better still, it is FREE to attend.
The Annual Metro Athletics Open is the highlight of our year. The event remains the number one event for blind and partially sighted athletes, in the UK, regardless of experience. Open to everyone from juniors to veteran athletes they incorporate a comprehensive track and field programme ranging the 60m sprint to 5,000m.
Field events include the high and long jump, shot put, discus and javelin. Run in accordance with UK Athletics and International Blind Sports Association’s rules by a team of qualified officials, the event is a great day out for families and many new friendships are forged.
Event Details
Date: Sat 11 June 2022 Time: 12 pm – 5 pm Cost: Free
Venue: Mile End Stadium, 190 Burdett Rd, London, E3 4HL
Venue Tel no. 020 8980 1885
Entry now closed
- The closing date for entry is Wednesday 1 June 2022.
How to get there:
By Tube: Mile End station (Hammersmith and City Line, District Line, Central Line) approximately 0.5 miles, 10-12 minutes walking distance to Mile End Stadium.
Directions: Exit Mile End Station, turn left along Mile End Road, take another left onto Burdett Road and continue along the road for roughly 8-9 minutes until you reach Mile End Stadium across the road.
By car: parking is very limited within Mile End Stadium and there is a potential risk of not being able to find a suitable place to park. Only 40 total spaces available with 3 disabled spaces available. Parking is £1 but restricted to two hours. We recommend travelling by public transport where possible.
Event Timings:
Registration on the day: Please arrive at 11.30 am.
Competition starts 12.00 noon – please ensure you have arrived at Mile End Stadium on time to minimise any potential delays in competing.
Event closes after final Medal Ceremony – 5.00pm
Registration on the day: Please arrive at 11.30 am.
On arrival to reception, participants will need to register at the reception area of Mile End Stadium to ensure we have your details and where you can collect your t-shirt and both of your printed participant numbers along with pins to be placed on your chest and back.
You will also receive a stringed Metro Blind Sport bag that will come with a Metro water bottle and two printed Metro Athletics Open 2022 programmes for you to keep.
Once you are registered, please make your way through to the stadium and await further announcements for when you need to take part.
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Metro Athletics Open- Archives
43rd Metro Athletics Open 2019
“The 43rd Athletics Open did not disappoint and it delivered another fantastic day for all of those that were involved.
The enthusiasm of all the competitors was a joy to witness and the spirit of the day was focussed around enjoyment with an edge of friendly competition. The camaraderie throughout the day was excellent and I hope that many friendships flourish from attending the games.
It takes and a great amount of organising and teamwork behind the scenes from the staff team and the volunteers involved.
I would like to thank all the people involved in organising the day and to all those people that gave up their time on the day. My sincere thanks go to the officials, the guide runners and to all the volunteers. I would, of course, like to thank all the sponsors for their kind donations.
Days and events like these do not happen if it wasn’t for the dedication that you have given to Metro Blind Sport. We look forward to planning the 44th Metro Athletics Open for 2020.”
Martin Symcox – CEO – Metro Blind SPort
Feedback on the Athletic Open 2019
How was your experience at the Metro Blind Sport’s Athletics Open?
It was really fantastic. Everyone was so supportive and kind and everyone seemed to be having so much fun. Being with all these people like me or who had more serious sight problems, competing in all these events was amazing and I didn’t feel so alone anymore or question myself if I was good enough or not normal enough. It would be nice though to run against more girls my age or older.
What advice would you want to pass on about your athletics experience to people who are blind or visually impaired?
It can seem really frightening at first trying to run or jump or throw without really being able to see where you are. My first race was a disaster, all the lines blurred together and I saw a big blur of people on one bend and thought it was the finish so I stopped not realising I still had 100m to go. But If you take the first step and stick with it the feeling when you run and finish a race is unbelievable and I feel like I can do anything then. The same with the high jump. When I started I could hardly get over 1m now I get 125 sometimes 130. I’ll never win a normal competition but I love trying to go higher and the feeling of flying is awesome. I definitely recommend starting with Metro sports as they are so much fun then if you want to continue more seriously find a good supportive club
Would you recommend the Metro Blind Sport Athletics Open to others? If so, why would that be?
Most definitely. It was so much fun and the organisers, volunteers and athletes were so amazing. They support everyone and the encouragement you get is overwhelming. The standard of athletics is also very good, much higher than I expected and some of the people there and who I raced against were as fast and as good as sighted people. but mostly the atmosphere is really special – everyone finished their race or event no matter how hard they found it and the pride everyone felt for doing something like this was incredible and empowering. It makes you realise that things for us may be hard but they are not impossible, we might have to do things a little differently and it might take us a little longer but we can still do it, just as well as anyone else
Erin
Congratulations to all of those who competed at the 43rd Metro Athletics Open
It was a real joy of mine to support the organisation of this event and I was truly amazed at the individual abilities of everyone who took part.
It was brilliant to see so many smiling faces in one place, competing against one another with fantastic sportsmanship. Also, well done to those who were successful medal winners on the day!
A huge thank you to all the Officials, Volunteers, Family and Friends who also made the day a great success due to their hard work and support.”
Charlie Raven – SDO – Metro Blind Sport
Athletics Open 2019 Gallery Link:
https://blindsport.uk/AOGallery2019
Results for Athletics Open 2019 below
- Metro Athletics Open 2019 – Track Results – Word Format
https://blindsport.uk/AO19Track
- Metro Athletics Open 2019 – Field Results – Word Format
https://blindsport.uk/AO19Field
2019 Event details
Date: Sat 22nd June 2019 Venue: Mile End Stadium, London, E14 7TW
INTRODUCTION
Hosted by London Borough of Tower Hamlets and GLL, supported by Carmen Butler Charities Charitable Trust and the Roden Family Foundation.
Metro Blind Sport – Welcomes athletes of all ages and experience throughout the UK to join us in our annual competition’s ‘43rd year!
The morning ‘Come and Try Coaching Session’ will once again provide those new to the sport a brilliant opportunity to try out running, jumping and throwing in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, supported by qualified coaches. If you haven’t tried an event before and want to compete in the afternoon, or are looking to improve your performance this is the place for you.
The 2019 programme will be run under UKA/IBSA rules and is open to males and females of all ages. The athletics competitions are principally for registered blind and partially sighted people.
Every competitor will receive a free t-shirt along with either a medal and/or performance certificate. Free packed lunches will be provided for all competitors, coaches, officials and volunteers. *Guide Runners may be arranged with advance notice, you will need to provide an estimate of your track times.
Guest competitors are welcome but no medals or certificates can be awarded.
A big thank you to Mazars for their help in supporting the Metro Blind Sport’s Athletics Open 2019
Come and Try Session starts 10.00am – 11.30am, open to all ages, an ideal opportunity to access specialist coaching in track and field disciplines.
Competition starts 12.00 noon, listed below are all events grouped under the relevant age ranges. Results will be uploaded to Power of 10 as soon as possible.
Event closes after final Medal Ceremony – 5.00pm
EVENTS
- Under 12 (Age at 01.01.2019) – Boys and Girls (4 events only)
60m, 100m, Standing Long Jump, Ball Throw, For B1 athletes only)
- Under 14 (Age at 01.01.2019) – Boys and Girls (4 events only)
100m, 800m, Long Jump, High Jump, Shot, Discus, Javelin, (For B1 athletes only – called 60m),
- Under 17 (Age at 01.01.2019) – Boys and Girls (4 events only)
100m, 800m, Long Jump, High Jump, Shot, Discus, Javelin, (For B1 athletes only – called 60m),
- Senior Ladies and Men (18 – 34)100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump, Shot, Discus, Javelin
- Vets Ladies and Men (Over 35) 100m, 800m, 5000m, Long Jump, Shot
The track (Mile End Stadium) and the accommodation (Queen Mary University) are within walking distance of Mile End Tube Station (Central and District line).
- Athletes aged Under 12, 14 or 17 may take part in up to four individual events in any one day.
- Senior Athletes may take part in a maximum of five events. These will consist of either 3 track and 2 field, or 2 track and 3 field on the day.
- Electronic timing will be used on all track races.
- B3 and B4 athletes are reminded that competition rules do not allow any concessions to assist performance. (No Guide Runners)
- ALL B1 ATHLETES MUST PROVIDE AND USE THEIR OWN SHADES. Time permitting there will be a Fun Relay for all competitors during the afternoon including parents and coaches.
In order for as many events as possible to take place, it may be necessary to merge sight categories thereby ensuring the maximum number of individual ‘event requests’ are met. We recognise this could lead to a miss-match in functional sight levels, however our aim with the ‘Metro Athletics Open’ is to always offer the widest range of opportunities for athletes to compete. We view this as a preferable option to cancelling events with low numbers.
- The closing date for Entries has been extended to Wednesday 12 June 2019.
Accommodation: This will be available on Friday and Saturday night (21st and 22nd) at the aforementioned Queen Mary University of London. Please note there is a further reduction for those under the age of 18. A separate form is available for accommodation requests, please email lucy.simper@metroblindsport.org
Metro Guide and Runner Bibs
Do you Need one – more info here: http://bit.ly/GuideBibs
You can Find a Guide Below
Guide runners database for the Vision Impaired This new exciting project was launched by England Athletics with British Blind Sport. The database will enable visually impaired people to search for guide runners locally supporting them to take up or develop their running
Athletics Open 2018
Another great day was had by all at the Athletics Open 2018 and all at Metro would like to thank all the Official, Volunteers, Guides and our awesome Compere Peter Scott. Thanks to all the supporters who were in fine voice this year, cheering and encouraged our athletes to beat their personal bests, some great times and distances where achieve this year, so well done to all.
Also was great to see Noel Thatcher MBE, a British Paralympic runner who represented the United Kingdom at six Paralympic Games between 1984 and 2004, collecting a total of five gold medals compete again in this year’s Athletics Open – winning both 1500 and 5000. Congratulations to all who competed on the track with Noel, impressive times all round!
A big shout out to the Canary Wharf Group, Carmen Butler-Charteris Charitable Trust, London Stock Exchange, Olympus and Roden Family Foundation for their support
Results for 2018
As promised here are the links to the results for the Athletics Open 2018 in Word format Track: bit.ly/AOTrackResults and Field: bit.ly/AOFieldResults
Power of 10 link results: http://bit.ly/MBSPower10-2018
If there are any missed please use the above link and follow the instructions at the top of the page.
Message from Roy Smith – Games Director
On behalf of the Metro Blind Sport Staff and Trustee’s we all hope you had a fantastic time on Saturday at Mile End Stadium and thank you for taking part in our 42nd games.
For those of you that missed the games this year please have a read below and visit our website to have a look at the great photos. These will show you all the achievements on the day and give you an insight into what is possible for people living with sight loss within the sport of Athletics. I hope that you will be encouraged to join us next year!
On Saturday we had 75 Athletes, 20 qualified UKA officials, 30 Volunteers including guide runners and supporters enjoying an excellent day of running, jumping and throwing. The whole games were professionally audio described so we could all enjoy everyone’s performances on the day.
We welcomed a large group from Worcester College and Berkshire Vision. There were plenty of children from schools in London and around the UK.
I watched an 8-year-old pick up his first medal and clapped and cheered at the 70+ year old who broke her PB in the 5000m race.
The weather was fine which always helps and we had some fantastic sponsors including a variety of help from the Thomas Pocklington Trust.
So far we have received some really positive comments from Volunteers including Officials, Guide Runners and those supporting key functions which make a day like this run as smoothly as possible.
Most importantly we want to hear from you, help us improve by telling us what worked and what perhaps didn’t for you. Email: roy.smith@metroblindpsort.org All constructive comments and feedback gratefully received.
Combining all the important factors together ensured that everyone had a very friendly and successful day. Thank you and hope you can all join us again next year.
Athletics Open 2018 Event details below
Metro Blind Sport’s Athletics Open 2018 Venue: Mile End Stadium, Rhodeswell Road, London E14 7TW, Tower Hamlets, East London.
Metro Blind Sport are thrilled to announce that this year’s Athletics Open will be held on 16th June 2018 – 10.00am to 5.00pm, incorporating a Come and Try Coaching Session for vision impaired people, their families and friends. Thanks go to London Borough of Tower Hamlets and ‘Better’ for hosting us and for the generous support of the Canary Wharf Group, the Carmen Butler-Charteris Trust, Olympus, Professional UK, the Roden Family Foundation.
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A big thank you to Canary Wharf Group for their help in supporting the Metro Blind Sport’s Athletics Open 2018
You can visit the Canary Wharf Group Website here: canarywharf.com<
The Come and Try Session offers those new to the sport an opportunity to experience running, jumping and throwing in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Qualified Coaches will be on hand to advise and guide you, all ages and abilities are very welcome. If you are looking to try a new event or wanting to improve your performance, this is the place for you!
Competition will begin after the Come and Try Session, Events will be held for Under 18’s, Seniors and Veterans. Entry is FREE plus souvenir T-shirts, medals and certificates, and catering. Results will be ratified for Power of 10 rankings for classified and non-classified athletes.
Downloads for entry and accommodation forms below:
- Entry Form please Email the completed form to roy.smith@metroblindsport.org
- Accommodation Form please send the completed form to roy.smith@metroblindsport.org
Thanks go to London Borough of Tower Hamlets and ‘Better’ for hosting us and for the generous support of Carmen Butler-Charteris Trust, Olympus, Professional UK and the Roden Family Foundation.
For further info on the classification process please contact British Blind Sport www.britishblindsport.org.uk or British Athletics (Parallel Success) http://academy.uka.org.uk/parallel-success/classification
If you are an experienced guide runner and/or available to volunteer on the day please get in touch.
We look forward to seeing you all on the day, please circulate this press release to all your contacts and friends.
University accommodation is available close to the track; contact us for further details.
Roy Smith (Metro – Director)
Tel. H/W: 020 8255 7788 or M: 07803 288083
Email: roy.smith@metroblindsport.org