Athletics returns to the Wenlock Olympian Games in Much Wenlock on a new track

Few sporting events anywhere can match the history of the Wenlock Olympian Games. The Wenlock Olympian Society was founded in Much Wenlock in 1850 by Dr William Penny Brookes, the inspiration for the modern Olympic movement, to give people from every walk of life the chance to take part in annual sports and arts competitions.

This year brought a welcome return. Athletics was back at the Games on Sunday 12 July at William Brookes School, after the event could not be held in 2025 because the previous track had lost its UK Athletics TrackMark certification.

The 3-18 Education Trust announced a £164,000 investment to resurface the six-lane track, described as the UK's only 200m 'Tartan Track'. The Walker Trust and individual donors also helped, and the Society thanked Wenlock Olympians Athletics Club, Shrewsbury College students and many supporters whose donations funded new discus facilities.

The Society expected junior and senior competitors from across the region and beyond, including around 30 young athletes from the Almaty International School in Dubai.

Wenlock Olympians Athletics Club held the first event on the new track on 24 June, welcoming 45 under-10 and under-12 athletes from the club and Wrekin Harriers to a new inter-club competition linked to England Athletics' PB Award pathway.

The road race was reimagined too. The traditional seven-mile route was replaced by a 10k multi-terrain course starting and finishing at the Gaskell Field and taking runners across roads and tracks in the surrounding countryside.

Helen Clare Cromarty, chair of the Wenlock Olympian Society, thanked the Trust and William Brookes School for "this most welcome result" when the investment was announced, and looked forward to Wenlock Olympians Athletics Club returning to train on a top-class track.

The Society's president is Olympic gold medallist and triple jumper Jonathan Edwards CBE. As well as sport, the Games include arts competitions in short story writing, dance, music, and speech and drama. This year's short story competition runs from September 2026 to February 2027, when the medals will be awarded.

The work is not finished. A further £60,000 is needed for the fencing, pathway and hardstanding that will protect the track, and the Society continues to raise funds. To donate, enter or find out more, visit wenlock-olympian-society.org.uk.