Ian Wainwright

Ian is known to hundreds of grown-up schoolchildren as their old geography teacher, but to the thirty athletes proposing this nomination, and to many others, he is known as a first-rate coach, a committed team manager and a dear friend. As a coach and official with Hallamshire Harriers Sheffield, Ian has made a significant and lasting contribution to sport in South Yorkshire. For over 48 years, he has spent thousands of volunteer hours supporting athletics, encouraging generations of athletes with his knowledge and enthusiasm, both delivered with deadpan Northern humour! A former national standard athlete himself, Ian has mentored novices and internationals, inspiring great performances and instilling lifelong passion and interest in sport amongst his athletes. A serious spinal injury in 2009 turned Ian's world upside-down. He battled through months of immobility, helped in part by the endless trail of well-wishers to his bedside. Despite suffering this setback, Ian's passion for life remains undiminished. In 1960, aged 21, Ian hitchhiked to the Rome games, sparking a lifelong love of the Olympics. As nominators, we can think of no more fitting reward for his years of selfless dedication to others than for him to carry the Olympic torch.