Portsmouth patients bring home gold at 2024 Transplant Games

Transplant patients from Portsmouth took home 8 golds, 3 silvers and 1 bronze at the 2024 Transplant Games in Nottingham.

The Transplant Games began 46 years ago in Portsmouth, when surgeon Maurice Slapsak organised a “Transplant Olympics” with just 99 participants. This year’s event was the largest to date with over 2,500 participants, including live donors, donor families and supporters, and 1,000 transplant recipients.

Portsmouth’s team made waves in the pool, collecting five gold medals across various distances and disciplines with the other three gold medals coming in track and field for high jump, javelin and shot put.

The aim, as it was back in 1978, continues to be to demonstrate the benefits of transplantation, encouraging transplant patients to regain their fitness.  whilst increasing public awareness of the need for more people to join the NHS Organ Donation Register and discuss their wishes with their families. The games also seek to thank and celebrate donor families and the gift of life.

Taking place in Nottingham for the first time ever, this year’s British Transplant Games was the largest gathering of transplant recipients since the Games started 46 years ago. Across the weekend, the flagship event of charity Transplant Sport saw 25+ sporting events take place in venues across Nottingham, over 2,011 competitive medals awarded, and 2,000 participants join the annual Donor Run – the highest number of sign-ups ever. The Donor Run is the only event open to everyone and is designed to thank donors and donor families for giving the ultimate gift of life. This year’s run took place in the beautiful setting of Wollaton Hall.

Team Manager for Portsmouth, Pam Nye said: “The games offer the opportunity for athletes who have all received a donated organ to get together and give each other peer support away from the hospital setting. I am very proud to be given the honour of being the Team Manager for such amazing group of people. The greatest joy of being team manager is seeing the comradery of a group of people who have not met before being given the opportunity to mix and socialise together in an environment where everyone feels comfortable and equal.”

Planning is now underway for team Portsmouth to attend the next Games, which will be held in Oxford in 2025. For more information on the British Transplant Games and how you can get involved, visit: https://www.britishtransplantgames.co.uk/