From Olympic Glory to Environmental Crusader: Imogen Grant Champions Health, Climate, and the Power of Sport

In this week’s Member Insights piece, David Alexander, the founder and MD of Calacus PR puts a spotlight on Imogen Grant.

I have long celebrated and underlined the importance of sport to be a force for good in society.

It’s not always easy for current athletes to use their profile to communicate about good causes as much as perhaps they should – and when they put words into action, it can lead to criticism if their form has a dip, as we have seen with Marcus Rashford, whose initiatives and promotion of support for under-privileged children has resulted in as much criticism as praise.

We know that sports people lend their names to charities and some teams make visits and appearances to hospitals and other worthwhile causes.

But it’s still the case that far too few are making the time while competing to speak out and support good causes that their profiles can promote.

This summer, Imogen Grant became an Olympic champion at Paris 2024 when she won the women’s lightweight double sculls with team mate Emily Craig.

She became a doctor this summer as well, starting her first foundation year as a doctor at Wexham Park Hospital just three days after the Closing Ceremony, with hospital staff giving her a guard of honour when she started work.

But it’s her passion for the nation’s health and the environment that sets Grant apart.

“I am a normal person who can do extraordinary things,” Grant, said in a newspaper interview recently.

“I follow what I love and try to speak up about things I am passionate about – whether it is getting people up doing sports or campaigning for our river and water quality in the UK.”

Speaking to me via email, she added: “More athletes should feel empowered to share their voice on issues they are passionate about. Ultimately, elite sport can be very selfish and cut-throat – it takes a lot of time and money to achieve what we do, and I believe we have a responsibility to give back to society in return. 

“For me personally, it’s also very fulfilling. I am a whole person, being an athlete is just part of my identity, and having balance by working on other projects I care a lot about helps when training is hard and I am tired.

“Elite athletes, especially in popular sports like football, cricket, F1, rugby, have some of the largest public followings on the planet. The impact of any of those athletes asking for something to change is huge, and it bypasses a lot of politicking to achieve so much.”

Grant started rowing when she was studying at Trinity College, Cambridge, where she became a triple Blue, winning three Boat Races including two in record time but has seen the water quality in rivers deteriorate in the last decade.

She was awarded the BBC Green Sport Awards Athlete of the Year accolade and explained the impact that she has seen first-hand to changes to our environment.

“Physically experiencing so many of the changes we have seen during the climate crisis – flooding, inclement weather, hot weather, really freezing weather, unbelievable rains and storms – as I am trying to train has really opened my eyes to the impact the climate crisis is having, on me directly and the entire world,” she told BBC Sport.

“I’ve been rowing for 10 years. I have seen the changes in the water. I have ridden past floating nappies, seen used tampons floating and hanging in the trees on the sides of the bank, and I’ve seen dead fish. Seeing the degradation of our waterways has been really difficult.”

Grant was instrumental in the launch of the Clean Water Sport Alliance earlier this year and added: “Rivers feed so much of the rest of the landscape, and the rest of the wildlife. If you can get the rivers right, you can get the fields and the parks right and make towns and villages healthier and happier.

“As an athlete, I know that I have a platform and I have a passion, but I haven’t always had the knowledge and the nuts and bolts,” she said.

“Working with the Rivers Trust, I feel like I have learned so much and I am so much better equipped to talk about the things I am passionate about.

“I know enough to know what I am talking about and make a real difference. Knowledge is absolutely power.”

In September, she was one of just two athletes – along with beach volleyball player Lina Taylor – to win an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Climate Action Award for 2024.

She now wants to encourage more people to get involved with tackling climate change.

“It is important to remember that a little bit is better than not at all,” Grant said. “The climate crisis is here and it can feel really doom and gloom because it is really urgent. But we are sportspeople, we love an underdog and I just think sport is the right place to try and champion this. I don’t think we are out of hope yet, we have still got time to make a difference.”

She added: “So far, a lot of the change I have instigated has been a the personal or small group level, which builds momentum. I think that small changes are just as important as the larger changes, as it can prove that something is achievable. 

“However, my next goal is to instigate wider, legislative, change. Solving the climate crisis requires laws to be passed, and penalties to be handed out to those doing the wrong thing. My long term focus is to help push for these sort of initiatives.”

Global recognition has come for Grant, who was also named among the winners of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Climate Action Awards 2024.

Winning the Award alongside Bulgarian beach volleyball player Lina Taylor – Grant was honoured for her role in the launch of the Clean Water Sport Alliance to improve river health and water quality. 

She played a key role in implementing new initiatives to enhance the sustainability of British Rowing’s National Training Centre in Caversham, such as composting food waste, recycling plastic, and conducting regular water quality tests, as well as inspiring people to participate in water-testing campaigns and initiatives.

She explained: “Sport is such a team effort, and so is sustainability. I am so grateful to the amazing people and organisations who have helped me speak up and use my athlete’s voice for more than just sport. I hope to continue inspiring others to take action, both on and off the field of play.”

IOC President Thomas Bach added: “This year’s winners of the IOC Climate Action Awards show that the Olympic Movement is taking its responsibilities seriously: reducing our impact, while inspiring others to take action. 

“We hope these efforts inspire others – in sport and beyond – to join the collective effort to address one of the toughest challenges our world is facing today.”

Addressing those issues requires a blend of coverage in traditional and social media and Grant told me via email: “Media is more fragmented than before, and it is not just traditional media that holds sway any more. I think that sometimes the media prefers to focus on the shock stories, the negatives, and it can be frustrating to try to bring attention to issues that are actually improving because of the dedication of many. I would love to see more reporting of athletes doing the right thing, not just when they win or lose big.

“My social media was the main way I started testing the waters (excuse the pun) to see how my opinions and actions would land. It built my confidence up to a level where I now feel like I rely on it less to try and make change because I now have the connections that I formed taken into conferences, meetings, marches and more.”

One of those opportunities came at the Labour Party Conference  earlier this autumn, where Grant told delegates how important exercise can be for the health of the nation.

She said: “Too many people are like me. They think sport isn’t for them for one reason or another.

“Maybe they try the sports that are available in their schools or their local clubs and it just doesn’t quite light that spark. For some it’s the cost, the petrol to drive to practice. Maybe their nearest facilities are too far away. Maybe the facilities have been run down and there aren’t enough volunteers to coach.

“And for some of them, there isn’t the pathway either. They can’t see what they want to achieve, even if they’re dreaming of it. We need to make sure that that miracle cure is available to as many people, adults and children across the nation.

“Almost 40% of adults in this country don’t meet the bare minimum standards for physical activity. Just 30 minutes of walking or equivalent, five times a week – almost 40%.

“If physical activity were a drug, it would be called a miracle cure for how effective it is and we need to make sure that that miracle cure is available to as many people, adults and children across the nation.

“So that’s why sport transforms. It’s good for our physical health, it’s good for our mental health, and it’s good for our communities as well. It’s why grassroots facilities are so vital to be a place where children and adults can go to do something other than stress or study or work.”

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