Eric Liddell 100 – get involved and mark the centenary of famed Paris gold

Wednesday 14th February 2024

Above: Watch a short video for viewers of all ages about the life of Eric Liddell

This year marks 100 years since Eric Liddell won 400m gold at the Paris Olympics, and plans are well underway to celebrate the anniversary – with our clubs encouraged to join in.

Liddell was, as many will know, a 100m runner. But because of his faith, he refused to compete on a Sunday, which ruled out the Olympic 100m in Paris. Instead, he switched events to train for the 400m – and won. It’s a tale made famous by the film Chariots of Fire, with its familiar scene of runners training on the West Sands in St Andrews.

As well as his athletics achievements, Liddell is also being remembered for the values he upheld throughout his life, of passion, compassion, and integrity. The Eric Liddell 100 campaign is working throughout this year to ensure that the next generation of young people know his story.

Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete, Eilidh Doyle, was among those who gathered at Castlebrae Community High School last week (pictured) for the launch of resources aimed at helping clubs, community groups and schools celebrate the anniversary.

Among the resources available is a Sports Event toolkit with ideas to help clubs hold their own event for young athletes with an Eric Liddell theme. There’s also an online educational resource for schools. These can also both be accessed via the Eric Liddell 100 page on the Teachers section of our website.

Among those attending the launch was Liddell’s niece, Sue Caton, who said she was delighted to see young people getting involved in the centenary activities: “I think it’s marvellous, because I was a physical education teacher, so I’m delighted that this is all happening, and that these children are going to really learn about Eric – not just about his running, but about everything in his life and how he completely conducted it in a manner that is unusual, I would say, in the best possible way.”

Rachel Flynn, of The Eric Liddell 100, said: “We’ve not only launched an online resource designed for adults, we’ve also launched an educational resource with children in mind, and young people in mind.

“And we’ve also launched a sports day toolkit which gives you everything you could possibly need to run your own sporting event themed by Eric Liddell 100.”