The European Transplant Games 2026 brought more than 1,000 athletes from 24 countries to Arnhem for a week celebrating life, resilience and the power of organ donation. At the centre of Team GB’s support were SST Honorary Member Sheila Leddington Wright and Graduate SST Member Abby Coleman, whose work proved vital to athlete performance and wellbeing throughout the Games.
Sheila, a highly experienced therapist within Transplant Sport and former Associate Professor in Sports Therapy at Coventry University, led the therapy provision. She was supported by Abby, who studied at Edge Hill University and now works in private practice at Lomax Physio, alongside her role as Junior Pathway Therapist at Huddersfield Giants. She joined Sheila as part of a small, dedicated support team.
Abby’s growing involvement in the Transplant community earned her the SST Outstanding Contribution to Therapy Award in 2024 and ultimately the invitation to join the European Games support team.
Together they travelled to Arnhem with their own equipment and supplies and established a therapy base at the Valkenhuizen Sports Centre, supporting athletes across the range of sports including badminton, table tennis, swimming, athletics, pétanque and darts.
With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees and the final two days of competition cancelled due to extreme heat, their combined expertise became even more important. Working as a pair proved invaluable. Their complementary skill sets allowed them to share treatments, combine clinical reasoning, and deliver targeted interventions.
Sheila explained: “Most issues were chronic niggles—functional problems athletes had carried for some time—rather than acute injuries, and we were able to help athletes understand and manage those concerns. Despite the extreme heat, no heat‑related medical emergencies occurred.”
Abby described her role as providing comprehensive Sports Therapy support: “This involved assessing musculoskeletal concerns, helping with recovery, providing pre‑ and post‑event treatment, and advising athletes on reducing the risk of injury so they could continue to perform at their best after the Games.”
Sheila praised Abby’s professionalism, “Abby was absolutely outstanding. She was so adaptable and the athletes totally loved her.”
Their impact was felt across the team. Badminton athlete Vince Mayne, who completed a remarkable “triple crown” of British, World and now European titles, all gained within a twelve -month period, credited the therapists with keeping him and his teammates ready to compete, helping them perform at their best.
🎥 Listen to Vince Mayne talk about what it means to have a second chance at life.
The Games reinforced the essential role SST Sports Therapists play in supporting transplant athletes — helping them perform, recover and celebrate the second chance that sport represents.
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