Peaty and Marshall head to Zambia

Marshall, who is a patron for the Perfect Day Foundation, the charity who support the initiative, is asking for your support to raise the much-needed funds for the communities in Zambia. 

With the support of Peaty and his fellow athletes the team will undertake 10 hours of sport per day for five days at five different locations in Lusaka and the surrounding communities. They will be joined by hundreds of young Zambians from four of the most deprived communities in Lusaka, where poverty, HIV, domestic and gender based violence, teenage pregnancy and homelessness are rife.

The five sports are netball, basketball, football, triathlon and volleyball and will see the Olympic and World Champion try his hand at the different sports. 

This will be the 12th year of the 'Volunteer Zambia' project, which sends out dozens of students from the seven universities each year to deliver coaching, build new sports facilities and undertake sports development capacity building programs across Zambia.

Olympic Champion and double World Champion Peaty commented: “Hopefully future generations in Zambia will all take up a sport and maybe some of them can even pursue it as a serious career.

“Four years ago we went out there and took on a 500km bike ride in 42 degrees. Some of the money we raised has helped build a sports facility and we will be starting our five-day challenge this year from there, which is really exciting.”

Marshall who coached Peaty to gold in Rio and will be in the thick of the action in Zambia added: “On my previous visits to Zambia I have seen how valuable sport can be in enhancing the quality of life of young people who have next to nothing.

“I promised myself I would return every Olympic cycle and try to raise money to give them a chance to enjoy sport and learn valuable life skills. Every donation makes such a big difference to the lives of these young people.”

To donate to this fantastic cause either text MELZ17 £10 to 70070 or head to www.theperfectdayfoundation.org