Team Scotland partner CGI has announced their sponsorship of Glasgow 2014 finalist Meggan Dawson Farrell on her journey to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Meggan, a T54 wheelchair athlete, competed in the 1500m for Team Scotland in Glasgow and five days later won gold over the same distance at the Junior World Championships. A prolific record breaker, she holds Scottish records across an astounding range of distances from 100m to marathon.

As Meggan prepares for the next Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast she plans regular training trips to Switzerland for additional coaching support. CGI’s sponsorship will assist in financing this, as well as travel to the high level competition she needs.

“CGI’s support is such an honour and a huge help towards achieving my goals,” said Meggan. “It means I can travel to the right level of competition to qualify and prepare for Gold Coast 2018, with the aim of doing even better than in Glasgow. It’s so exciting to be chosen for this sponsorship, it will make such a massive difference.”

CGI, the official Systems Integration, BPS and IT Outsourcing partner of Team Scotland, Team England and Team Wales for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, has offered this sponsorship to Meggan as an extension of the support and commitment of CGI towards the teams and the athletes involved.

Welcoming the news, Jon Doig, Chief Executive, Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “Meggan and other Team Scotland athletes are about hard work, close links to their communities and achievements on the world stage, characteristics that also embody CGI. We look forward to continuing to learn from and work with CGI to ensure continued success as we move towards Gold Coast 2018.”

CGI have also extended this sponsorship to Team England 2014 Commonwealth Decathlon silver medallist Ashley Bryant and rhythmic gymnast Laura Halford of Team Wales, who won three medals in Glasgow.

“Our support of these athletes and the respective teams is very exciting for everyone here at CGI in the UK.” said Tim Gregory, UK President, CGI.

“As an organisation we are committed to supporting professional development in our own areas of expertise and it has been great to extend this further into the sporting arena through this sponsorship. We encourage our own members to live healthy and active lifestyles through a number of initiatives and this sponsorship is an exciting way to bring this to life for our members”.

Activities such as blogs, webcasts and visits by athletes, coaches and nutritionists are helping CGI’s members develop awareness of the benefits of exercise and wellbeing. These activities tie into CGI’s existing global health and wellness programme – Oxygen, which provides a range of health-related services and resources to CGI members worldwide.

CGI also sponsors ten up and coming athletes through the charity SportsAid, with each being given a SportsAid Award of £1,000. The funding enables these athletes, across both disabled and able bodied sports, to overcome the number one barrier that they face – the cost of their sport. The investment helps them with essential training, travel and competition costs to ensure they have the backing and recognition they need to succeed.