We are delighted that Abdul has joined our BRIT Ambassador family.
Abdul has represented Great Britain at the Olympics, World Championships and European Championships, served as a Board Member on the British Athletes Commission and is a Board Member on the UK Athletes’ Commission.
“Having been involved in sport for over twenty years as both an athlete and as a volunteer Board Member with British Athletics and UK Athletics (UKA), I have seen first-hand the many mental health challenges faced by young adults and elite athletes.
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all our lives and I believe that as many more people are experiencing feelings of isolation and loneliness, we must support each other to look after our mental health and raise awareness of the importance of improving our fitness and wellbeing. This is such an important time to support the many young adults with existing mental health challenges or those who feel isolated and vulnerable.
I applaud BRIT for partnering with PAPYRUS – Prevention of Young Suicide, Nightline Association, Student Minds and the Charlie Waller Trust, so that all donations raised by the BRIT 2021 Challenge will be shared equally between five mental health charities who support students and young adults.
The BRIT 2021 Challenge is an inspiring opportunity to help support and improve young adult mental health and fitness throughout the UK. It has been designed to be inclusive and enables students and staff of all abilities to take part by hand-cycling, cycling, wheelchair pushing, swimming, walking, jogging, running, rowing or paddling (canoeing, kayaking or paddle-boarding). I hope every UK university, college and student union enters teams in the BRIT 2021 Challenge and encourages their students and staff to take part at home or on campus.
I urge my fellow Olympians, Paralympians and athletes to join our BRIT Ambassador family so young adults and students at every university and college are inspired to take part in the BRIT 2021 Challenge. At a time when we all need encouragement and inspiration, British Sporting Icons have an opportunity to unite in support of young adult mental health and together, have an extraordinary impact that will benefit the lives of hundreds of thousands of students and young adults throughout the UK.”
Abdul attended the London Nautical School between 1993 and 2000. He was a member of the Newham and Essex Beagles Athletics Club, coached by Mark Wiseman and trained at Loughborough University.
In 2011, Abdul set a personal best of 65.44 metres and won the UK Trials and Championships that qualified him to represent Great Britain at the World Championships in South Korea.
Abdul represented Great Britain at the 2012 European Athletics Championships in Finland and at the Olympics in London.
For more information on UK athletics, please visit their website. For more information about athletics in Great Britain, please visit the British Athletics website.
Abdul retired from athletics in January 2014 and between November 2015 and September 2019, he served as a Board Member on the British Athletics Commission. The British Athletics Commission are the voice of Great Britain’s Elite Athletes.
Since July 2017, Abdul has served as a Board Member on the UK Athletics (UKA) Athletes’ Commission. Abdul serves alongside Hannah England (Chair), John Pares (Vice-Chair), Richard Yates (Vice-Chair) and Vanessa Wallace. The Commission abide by the principle of striving to promote a healthy and productive relationship between the athletes the Commission represent, and the National Governing Body.
In October 2019, seven athletes were elected to join the Commission for a two-year term;
Holly Bradshaw (pole vault)
Ashley Bryant (decathlon)
Dan Greaves (F44 discus)
Andy Heyes (3000m and cross country)
Stephen Miller (F32 Club Throw)
Naomi Ogbeta (triple jump)
Richard Whitehead (T61 100m and 200m)
Abdul has also served on the Advisory Board for Fika since June 2019. Fika is a remotely accessible mental fitness platform, empowering organisations, education institutions and individuals with guided mental skills development courses with proven benefits on mental wellbeing and performance. For more information on Fika, please visit their website.