Latest news with #GlasgowSchoolofSport
Scotsman
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Leaps and strides: The refugee from a Scottish high-rise tower block turned athlete inspiring others
The triple-jumper from Glasgow is hoping to inspire others from a similar background Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... From the 17th floor of a high-rise in the west of Glasgow, Miraji Ahmed grew up dreaming beyond the skyline. The son of African refugees, the 23-year-old was raised in a tower block neighbourhood marked by a quiet resilience and later lived in Castlemilk. But on the athletics track, Mr Ahmed found something powerful - a space where he could define himself on his own terms. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Miraji Ahmed competing in the triple jump as a junior | Contributed Today, he is a GB-level triple jumper, a community advocate and a rising social entrepreneur- leaping from a life on the margins to compete on the national stage. Such was his talent as a junior that Mr Ahmed set a Scottish under-17 indoor record in the triple jump at the FPSG National Open in 2018. His effort of 14.12m broke a record that at the time had stood for 28 years. Mr Ahmed's story is one of determination and his success, he insists, didn't come from luck, but rather from perseverance in a city in which he said he often felt like an outsider. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I've had to fight for who I am, what my name is and what it means,' he says. It was in primary school, racing in the playground, that Mr Ahmed said a teacher spotted his natural ability. She handed him a flyer for a trial at the Glasgow School of Sport. 'She believed in me,' he says. 'I didn't even know what it meant to take running around more serious … but that flyer changed everything.' Miraji Ahmed in his Scotland kit | Contributed By his late teens, Mr Ahmed had earned a scholarship to Lindenwood University in Missouri, United States, studying finance while training in elite US facilities with world-class coaches, and preparing for a future in international athletics. But his success did not come without strain. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I was 18, 19, training at the level of a 27-year-old Olympic athlete,' he recalls. 'It broke my body down.' Mr Ahmed reflects on his injuries, which included a torn hamstring, then a ruptured Achilles. For many it would have meant the end, but Mr Ahmed refused to give up. Miraji Ahmed's race number | Contributed 'People told me my career was over,' he said. 'But I couldn't let it be. This country had given me a chance and Scotland believed in me- I had to keep going.' His injuries became a turning point in his philosophy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Never quit your mind, never stop believing,' he says. 'You must push through the hard times to get to the success.' Now in his 20s and on the road to recovery, Mr Ahmed has redirected his energy into mentorship and community work aimed at inspiring young people from underrepresented backgrounds through charity outreach and creative expression. 'I am now interacting with young people who are the same colour as me, but they don't go through any racism, segregation and discrimination that I did,' he says. Determined to express himself, Mr Ahmed said he was pushing himself to the limits - physically, academically and creatively. 'I realise how big the opportunity that I had was, so I just took advantage of it all,' he says. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Ahmed wants to use his success, both on and off the track, to be a role model not just for young athletes, but for a generation of Scots whose heritage spans continents. The athlete has even launched his own clothing brand EES - short for 'ease' - around the idea that hardship can be worn with dignity and reimagined as strength. 'What your mind can believe, your body can achieve,' he says. Miraji Ahmed has launched his own clothing brand | Contributed After spending a period studying in America, Mr Ahmed decided it was time to return to his roots after the US university cut the funds for track and field. He has returned to Scotland to live in Edinburgh. 'I'm going to take everything I have learned directly to Edinburgh - the capital,' he says 'It felt like I was called to be back. I'm so grateful to be here, to live the truth I have been building for myself.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Though once uncertain of his place in national identity debates, he now embraces his heritage proudly. 'Scotland is not just one thing; it's more than just one identity, it's just got to be in your heart,' he says. 'I am truly showing what it is like to be a Scottish man. Especially now that I am living in Edinburgh, everything is expressive. The architecture, writers, artists, it is all expression.' Mr Ahmed's story comes against the backdrop of Glasgow's role as a major dispersal area in the UK for asylum seekers - a situation that has led to increased strain on the city's resources, particularly housing. Glasgow is facing mounting pressure as a surge in asylum decisions leaves hundreds of refugees without stable housing. The UK government's accelerated asylum process has shortened the notice period for refugees to leave government-provided accommodation from 28 days to as little as seven, forcing many into homelessness almost overnight. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The city expects more than 1,400 new homelessness cases by year's end, straining an already overstretched system with a housing shortfall of around 1,600 units. Glasgow City Council warns that without urgent intervention, the crisis could push rough sleeping to record levels and result in a £70 million funding gap for homelessness services. The local authority is facing a potential legal battle with the Home Office, having told the UK government it wants to pause the city's role as an asylum dispersal city after reaching 'crisis point'. Against the backdrop of the crisis in his home city, Mr Ahmed's story offers a quiet counterpoint. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
BBC News
26-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Pupils fear being 'abandoned' if Glasgow sport school closes
Pupils are at a closure threatened school dedicated to sporting excellence fear they may be "abandoned" if it fails to secure financial future of Glasgow School of Sport, based at Bellahouston Academy, will be decided later at a meeting of the council's city administration school allows pupils to take less subjects in exchange for sports coaching during school parent told BBC Scotland News: "It feels like they've pulled the rug from under our feet because this is what we signed up for." The school is the only one of its kind dedicated to sporting excellence in Scotland and pupils are selected from across the country based on their abilities.A council report said that it could be replaced by a bursary scheme in June 2026, and pupils would shift to "excellence programmes" delivered by the governing bodies of each sport. The school opened in 1998 and the 65 pupils who attend it specialise in one of five sports - athletics, badminton, gymnastics, hockey and swimming - with dedicated coaching taking place alongside regular academic Junnor, who's son Charlie specialises in badminton, said she found out about the decision online."It's horrendous because there's been no notice and we've not been consulted on this," she said. "If this is something so significant that it will affect our children's education and their sporting career, they could have at least been open with us. "They're making these kids feel like they don't matter." Charlie is in S3 and he has dropped two subjects in order to include badminton training as part of his timetable."He's in a position now where he contemplating having to leave school at the end of S4," said Ms Junnor. "There's almost a bit of panic in it. "That would be half of his training hours a week gone and we don't know how to fill that gap. He's already training at night and the weekend. "And how will the school fill his day when he's dropped ten hours off his timetable and he's not studied some of these subjects for over two years?"Charlie said it would feel like the school was "abandoning" him if it closed."The school has produced quite good athletes and it's the only one in Scotland," he said."It would be quite stupid to close it down. I think it would affect good junior athletes in the country."It's in my head that I might not have this next year and it could affect me in my future."A freeze on new pupils was introduced in 2024, due to the city council and Glasgow Life seeking funding support for the school. 'Postcode lottery' Council papers state that although 62% of the school's pupils come from outside Glasgow, "both the Scottish government and local authorities indicated they were not able to provide financial support".As a result, the report found "this equates to Glasgow spending circa £380k on the education of non-Glasgow pupils each school session".Ms Junnor, who lives in Renfrewshire, fears a new bursary scheme will only apply to Glasgow-based added: "It seems to be a postcode lottery which is a real shame because these kids don't play for their local council, they play for Scotland."It seems like if you're not from the Glasgow area, you can attend the school but you're on your own. There's no coaching, no physio, no anything."She also said it was "ignorant" to suggest Badminton Scotland could take on the cost of funding a similar programme. Clare Martin, who's son Alfie also plays badminton at the school, said parents were told that the school was examining the effectiveness of the school's structure last year."But they held all the information back about how serious it was," she said. "And nobody ever mentioned that it would be getting closed."She said such a move would be "devastating" for Alfie, who has been tipped as a future Commonwealth or Olympian athlete."Glasgow Council has decided to host the next Commonwealth Games and they're wanting to shut the School of Sport down in the same year," she added. "It's not a good look."She said parents had written to the school but so far they had heard nothing back."It would mean Alfie might need to move to a school in East Kilbride that he's never been to," she added. "He's worried about his future."Everybody is very angry that we haven't been given the full information and we're unsure about what's going to happen next." Former pupils at the school include swimmer Michael Jamieson, an Olympic and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, and badminton player Kirsty Gilmour said the school gave her "the perfect balance of getting my education while really having that focus on sport"."Being able to do sport and school at the same time was so good," she said. "And the fact it was free and just a normal public school was so valuable. "It's really sad that kids aren't going to get that same opportunity. I hope there's something that can happen to boost them."It was absolutely crucial for me and I don't know if I would have stood in as good stead going into senior badminton without the School of Sport."A Glasgow Life spokesperson said: "The current School of Sport model was introduced more than 25 years ago and was designed to meet the needs of pupils from across Scotland at the time. "Since then, national funding for governing bodies of sport has improved the support they offer prospective athletes considerably, offering multiple pathways to elite sports competition. "In considering whether Glasgow School of Sport offers the appropriate model in the wider national context, we have also proposed a new way to support young athletes from Glasgow to achieve their full potential."
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scotland's only sports school facing closure following failure to secure funding
SCOTLAND'S only school dedicated to sporting excellence could close and be replaced by a bursary scheme due to difficulty securing financial support. The future of Glasgow School of Sport (GSOS), based at Bellahouston Academy, will be decided on Thursday as a report into the school is set to be presented to the council's administration committee. The report into the school, which is run by the city's council and Glasgow Life, reportedly suggested a transition period for pupils which would conclude by June 2026, following other local authorities and the Scottish Government being unable to provide funding. No new pupils were recruited to the school for 2024/25, while the school's operators sought funding. READ MORE: Sportscotland, Scottish Institute of Sport and other national governing bodies were also unable to financially support the programme. Discussions are reportedly ongoing with national governing bodies on how to support pupils at GSOS if the school were to close. Students at the end of the proposed transition period will have the opportunity to continue studying at Bellahouston while their sporting efforts shift to 'excellence programmes' delivered by the governing bodies of each sport. The report which will be delivered at the committee meeting will recommend developing a sports bursary programme for students. Education Services and Glasgow Life would develop the proposed programme for June 2026, which would coincide with the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. In the report, Bailie Annette Christie, the city convener for culture, sport, and international relations, stated that Glasgow Life's cost of operating GSOS in 2023/24 was £767,900 and was not included in the service fee from Glasgow City Council. Only 37% of the school's pupils live within the Glasgow City Council area, with the other 63% coming from 12 other Scottish local authority areas. A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: 'The current School of Sport model was introduced more than 25 years ago and was designed to meet the needs of pupils from across Scotland at the time. 'Since then, national funding for governing bodies of sport has improved the support they offer prospective athletes considerably, offering multiple pathways to elite sports competition. 'In considering whether Glasgow School of Sport offers the appropriate model in the wider national context, we have also proposed a new way to support young athletes from Glasgow to achieve their full potential.' GSOS first opened its doors in 1998 and has more than 1100 pupils, 65 of whom specialise in athletics, badminton, gymnastics, hockey, or swimming. Former pupils at the school include swimmer Michael Jamieson, an Olympic and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, and badminton player Kirsty Gilmour. Pupils specialise in one sport and the programme offers dedicated sports coaching within the academic school week.
