UK Athletics legend Cram back in Edinburgh to relive and share memories of one of his greatest triumphs

UK Athletics legend and Atos’ Glasgow 2014 Ambassador Steve Cram MBE has returned to the scene of one of his greatest triumphs to participate in a special performance workshop with some of Edinburgh and the Lothians’ leading young athletes.

Cram (53) was back at Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh in his role as Brand Ambassador for international IT services company, Atos, making his return 28 years after he won Commonwealth Gold in the 800 and 1500 metres in Scotland’s capital in 1986.

Working with the Scottish Institute of Sport team and the City of Edinburgh Council, Cram and partner Allison Curbishley – who won a Silver medal for Scotland in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur – took more than 100 aspiring athletes and their coaches through their experiences of participation at major events and the preparation required to power new levels of performance in track and field events.

He also highlighted the way in which Atos in their role as an Official Supporter of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games would be delivering a range of essential Games Management and Games Information Systems for the Games.

Atos will have a dedicated team of 60 business technologists working behind the scenes in Glasgow during the Games. They will be supported by a huge team in the Atos major events’ headquarters in Barcelona and Madrid to deliver an unprecedented level of technology support to Glasgow 2014.

Atos Senior Vice President in Scotland, Gavin Thomson, said he was delighted to welcome Steve back to Scotland to share his experience with the invited audience.

“Both Steve and Allison have represented their country with great distinction at the highest level of sport and the young athletes who were there at Meadowbank will have been inspired by the way in which they spoke about their experiences and successes,” he added.

“Our team behind the scenes at Glasgow 2014 share Steve’s belief that the Glasgow Commonwealth Games can be one of the most successful Commonwealth Games ever and certainly live up to the standards expected of a modern Games in today’s technology driven world.”

The two athlete workshops were arranged with the support of the City of Edinburgh Council.

Edinburgh’s Vice Convener for Culture and Sport, Councillor Norma Austin Hart, attended the event and said: “Steve Cram and Allison Curbishley are experts in their field and they have brought a wealth of experience to the workshops. Edinburgh’s next generation of athletes have been able to receive insider tips on preparing mentally and physically for success, and it is fantastic to see Steve Cram back at Meadowbank where one of his greatest ever sporting achievements took place.”

Through the programme, Edinburgh residents have won tickets to the Commonwealth Games and with less than a month to go, the excitement in Edinburgh is well and truly building. After the workshops concluded, Steve Cram handed over fifty tickets for the badminton and rugby sevens at Glasgow 2014 which had been gifted by Atos and allocated to sports enthusiasts in the Edinburgh area.

Atos has invested heavily and continues to invest in jobs and development in Scotland, employing 1500 people in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Forres, Glasgow, Inverness, Linwood and Livingston.

About Atos

Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is an international information technology services company with 2013 annual revenue of €8.6 billion and 76,300 employees in 52 countries. Serving a global client base, it delivers IT services in 3 domains, Consulting & Technology Services, Systems Integration and Managed Services & BPO, and transactional services through Worldline. With its deep technology expertise and industry knowledge, it works with clients across the following market sectors: Manufacturing, Retail & Services; Public sector, Healthcare & Transports; Financial Services; Telco, Media & Utilities.Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future. It is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and is quoted on the NYSE Euronext Paris market.

Press contact:

Tessa David
+44 (0)207 8301977
tessa.david@atos.net