The British Esports Federation, the national esports body for the UK, has appointed former Olympic swimmer Alice Dearing as its new Co-Vice Chair.
Dearing has also been part of British Esports’ Advisory Board since September 2022 and retired from competing in 2024, before the Paris Olympics.
This is a big year for esports in Great Britain, with the inaugural Esports Nations Cup taking place later this year.
Though the nation’s League of Legends team has taken a hit after Marc ‘Caedrel’ Lamont rejected the chance to come out of retirement.
Who is Alice Dearing?
Dearing became the first black woman to swim for Team GB at an Olympic Games, having competed in the 10km marathon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
She was also a junior World Champion in 2016 and went on to participate in three senior World Championships.
As part of her various experiences, Dearing co-founded the Black Swimming Association, was a part of the UK Anti-Doping Athlete Commission, was named a 2022 Sunday Times Changemaker of the Year, and was featured in the BBC’s 2023 Woman’s Hour Power List.
She also received the Kick It Out award for Equality and Inclusion at the 2022 Sports Journalist of the Year awards.
As part of her advocacy for diversity, Dearing gave a talk at British Esports’ Be The Change Summit on the power of esports and the barriers that communities and individuals may face when entering spaces which haven’t traditionally catered for them.
“Gaming and esports has been such an important part of my life from an early age, and I am delighted to be able to play my part in the journey British Esports is on to gain greater recognition for British esports athletes and teams,” said Dearing in a statement.
“From playing and coaching, to games design and development through to casting and broadcasting, esports offers an exciting career, And as a former Olympian, I am incredibly excited to be working with the Board and the British Esports team to build a brilliant future for esports in the UK.”
What steps need to be taken to make esports bigger in the UK? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord.
And see all the Esports Nations Cup partnered organisations, with over 100 countries set to compete.
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