Gauldry girl will give Olympian effort in top role

SPORT: Good sport Laura tells of delight and honour at being chosen to ensure perfect preparations for UK’s Special Olympics team at 2019 summer games

A Fife woman has spoken of her pride after being selected as the head of delegation for next year’s Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.

Laura Baxter, 34, who is originally from Gauldry and attended Balmerino Primary School, will head Team SOGB.

She will be responsible for the successful preparation, participation and evaluation of the 129 UK athletes next spring when they compete against 7,000 Special Olympians from 168 countries.

Along with her assistant heads of delegation, she is planning the logistics and organising training weekends.

Laura, who has a three-year-old daughter, Mia, with husband Stevie, said it was an “absolute honour” to take up the role of a lifetime.

“The athletes who take part in Special Olympic activities inspire me to do the best I can for them so that each contact they have with me is an experience they can treasure,” she said.

“For the athletes, I hope to contribute to them having a first class experience on the world stage, learning a new culture and broadening their horizons through opportunity.

“On a personal note though I would like to further my experience of Special Olympics in a leadership capacity and cement my future involvement in the movement. I want our athletes to shine on the world stage and embrace the once in a lifetime experience.”

All Special Olympics involvement is voluntary, so Laura combines being a wife and mum with running her own business and devoting more than 20 hours a week to the Special Olympics.

The former Madras College pupil and Abertay University student married in 2010 and moved to Auckland, New Zealand the next year for work, but the family returned to Scotland two years ago.

She runs sport capability consultancy Lead to Exceed and is head of sport and competition for next month’s Special Olympics GB Anniversary Games in Stirling.

Laura is delighted to be the youngest Head of Delegation for a Special Olympics GB team at a World Summer Games.

“Since joining Special Olympics in 2008 I have thoroughly enjoyed being involved and I wish to step in to a leadership role at future events as well as be part of the board structure in years to come to contribute to a positive impact for the athletes,” she added.

“We need to ensure positive experiences for all involved in Team SOGB.”

Laura Baxter, from Gauldry in Fife, is the youngest person to be appointed as head of delegation for Team SOGB, by seven years.