Timetable for release of independent cultural healthcheck findings
UK Sport, GB Badminton and Badminton England are today announcing the timetable for the communication of findings from the recent Independent Culture (“Walk the Floor”) Healthcheck of the World Class Performance environment. The timetable makes a firm commitment to the public communication of the findings, recommendations, and forward plan, with a view to enhancing the way we develop our current and emerging world class talent.
The past few months have been a challenging time for our world class athletes, coaches, and support team. The Independent Culture Healthcheck is a key element to allow all parties to determine how we work together to evolve the programme into an environment we are all truly proud to be a part of. The resultant plan, supported by the commitment that UK Sport has made to invest in the World Class programme, is a great boost and will help to develop the environment and achieve our aim to give the country’s best players the opportunity to perform competitively and excel on the world stage.
The Independent Healthcheck was carried out in late September with visits to Milton Keynes and Sheffield and interviews with around 70 current and former athletes, coaches, leaders and support staff. The purpose of the exercise was to:
- a) provide specific feedback and recommendations to accelerate a sustainable “medals and more” culture in the GB World Class Programme in the Paris cycle and beyond;
- b) observe and appraise the current state of affairs in relation to World Class Performance culture, taking into account additional specific questions requested by GB Badminton and Badminton England.
The visits and interviews were carried out by an independent panel of seven experts, resulting in a report containing the panel’s findings and recommendations.
The process for finalising the report and acting on its recommendations is set out below:
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| Week commencing 6 December 2021 | Interim Report and proposed action plan presented to the contributors to the report for discussion and consultation |
| 17 December 2021 | Consultation period concludes |
| Week commencing 3 January 2022 | Final Report and action plan written |
| Week commencing 10 January 2022 | Public communication of the report’s recommendations and GB Badminton / Badminton England’s action plan |
Mike Robinson, Chair of Badminton England, said: ”I am pleased to share how we will communicate the findings from the independent review. This is a part of Badminton England’s renewed commitment to open and transparent communication with our stakeholders; a crucial element in uniting the badminton community towards our aims to grow participation, support the core of the sport and compete for major honours.”
Stephen Baddeley, Chair of GB Badminton, said: ”I welcome the announcement of how we will go about making improvements to our World Class Programme. Everyone is united in our aims to compete and win at the very highest level, and this report will help us to learn from other sports and independent experts in creating a world-leading performance environment.”