Stuart Anderson MP campaigns for national recognition of Wenlock Olympian Games
Stuart Anderson MP hopes that Wenlock Olympian Society will be protected for future generations. He has nominated it for inclusion in a UK-wide ‘Inventory of Living Heritage.’
Ministers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have called for nominations of living traditions ahead of submissions opening in the Summer. The call follows ratification of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in March 2024.
The Convention requires Member-States to compile an inventory of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’, practices that are ‘traditional, contemporary, and living at the same time’.
The previous government had announced plans to “create a discussion about the role that living heritage of all sorts plays in the identity, pride and cohesion of all parts of the UK.”
Stuart has welcomed continuation of the plans, which he hopes will raise awareness of local traditions and protect them for future generations.
Stuart has called for the Wenlock Olympian Games to be recognised in the ‘Performing Arts’ section, second of seven categories that will constitute the inventory. Dr William Penny Brookes founded the modern Olympiad in Much Wenlock in 1850.
He pioneered the annual tournament to motivate the area’s residents to take part more in sport, physical exercise, and stimulating mental activities. This inspired Pierre de Coubertin to set up the International Olympic Committee in 1894.
Since the Games’ beginning, 139 Wenlock Olympiads have taken place, with competitions including track and field events alongside music and dance.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"In 1850, Dr William Penny Brookes founded the modern Olympiad in Much Wenlock to inspire a generation to engage more in healthy physical and mental activity. Many generations later, the Wenlock Olympian Games continues to enjoy much success. It is fully deserving of a place in the nation-wide Inventory of Living Heritage. So, I look forward to nominating it for this national recognition when applications open in the Summer."
Wenlock Olympian Society said:
"The Wenlock Olympian Society continues to maintain the tradition established by its founder William Penny Brookes in 1850, of holding an annual Wenlock Olympian Games to promote physical and mental wellbeing. This year is the 139th Wenlock Olympian Games. These began in March with a mixture of arts events and will continue throughout 2025 with a wide-range of sporting events open to competitors of all ages and abilities. The Society and William Penny Brookes are recognised internationally as the inspiration for the revival of the modern Olympic movement. As Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee said in 1897, 'The Wenlock people alone have preserved and followed the true Olympian traditions'."
Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross said:
“I would encourage everyone to think about what traditions they value so that we can continue to celebrate them, tell our national story to the rest of the world and safeguard the traditions that make us who we are.”
