Sevens star Mitchell bounces back from Olympic frustration by hailing 'special' I Am Team GB

Team GB's Rugby 7's skipper Tom Mitchell may have suffered a frustrating Olympic Games personally - but now he is determined to give back to those people who made it possible for him to compete in Tokyo.

Mitchell, who watched on from the sidelines due to an injury which forced him off in Team GB's comeback win over the USA, saw his teammates beaten 29-7 by New Zealand in their semi-final, before losing 17-12 to Argentina in their bronze medal match.

Mitchell was an initial victim of Covid cost-cutting as his funding was ended by the Rugby Football Union.

With no rescue package in sight Mitchell looked elsewhere for income and started doing some work with a non-alcoholic beer company, delivering corporate workshops.

But then, just when hope seemed lost, the National Lottery stepped in with emergency funding and in February the programme was brought back out of storage.

On Saturday August 14, Mitchell will be heading to AC Delco Archery Club at Colden Common, in Eastleigh as part of I Am Team GB, where he is excited to give back to the public who supported his Tokyo dream.

The event will run over the weekend, with Archery GB qualified coaches available to help the public enjoy their introduction to archery.

As part of Toyota's presenting partnership of IATGB, local dealership Snows Toyota are helping to promote the event and will be there on the day to support'.

"In terms of being part of the I Am Team GB events, being part of Team GB personally is a special thing because it's a very passionate, prideful and diverse group," said Mitchell.

"When you extend beyond our own Rugby Sevens squad, the diversity in Team GB was something that I think is really valuable.

"Events like I Am Team GB will improve and increase that - not only by improving the number of people just participating in sport but ultimately the more people we get active at a young age, the more people we'll get competing for those Olympic sports down the line.

"Following on from an Olympic Games, which hopefully inspired a lot of people and got a lot of people watching sport, this is the follow up really and the more important bit.

"It's about helping young people get into sport in terms of participation and kind of building on what was hopefully a very inspiring couple of weeks over in Tokyo.

"With the events being all over the country, it's great because it's about trying to reach as many people, young or old, as possible.

"That's one of the big focusses in the aftermath of the Games and it's very much in line with the reasons a lot of us athletes do what we do and the reason we're in sport.

"You're never really aware of inspiring people when you're competing, probably because it'd add a lot of pressure on in the moment.

"But it's certainly something that we as sports people carry with us. One of the things I write down as one of my goals is to inspire other people."

There will also be free hero events at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, and the Olympic Stadium, plus a family fun day at Paulton Park, the home of Team GB's newest recruit Peppa Pig, while other events will be taking place all over the country on August 14 and 15.

I Am Team GB is already a much-loved and successful mass participation event, having seen over one million people in the UK take part after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and welcome home the country's history making athletes at their local sports clubs and community events.

Team GB Commercial Director, Tim Ellerton, added: “We are really excited to be launching I Am Team GB. With the support of our presenting partner Toyota, we are creating a host of free events up and down the country for those inspired by the Olympics to get up and active this summer, with a festival of sport on August 14 and 15."

The 'Festival of Sport' will harness the incredible stories of Team GB athletes in Tokyo to inspire men and women, boys, and girls across the UK to 'Get Up and Get Active' at free and fun events held around the country across the weekend of August 14 and 15.

Tom Whiteside, Sponsorship Manager for Toyota said: “Toyota is all about promoting mobility, so to activate our sponsorship of Team GB we wanted to create something in partnership that enabled us to take the magic of the Olympics and inspire people to get up and get active, irrespective of age, experience or skill level and I Am Team GB gives us the perfect opportunity for us to do just that and we have more exciting activations to announce over the course of the campaign."

If you want to get involved; go to IAmTeamGB.com to find an event near you.