Sports stars meet their match for Abertay Covid recovery project

World-class sports stars have been sharing motivational techniques and coping strategies with people recovering from Covid.

The stars hold one-to-one video chats as part of the Sport v Covid programme.

Tennis coach Judy Murray, Olympic medallist Eilidh Doyle and five-time Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson are among the participants.

Former Olympic basketball captain Kieron Achara and former NFL player Aaron Taylor are also taking part.

They will offer the person recovering advice on how they dealt with uncertainty during their career, stayed motivated during long periods of rehabilitation, and navigated significant changes including unexpected career transitions.

The research project, run by Abertay University, is supported by a number of international sports organisations.

David Bellingham said it was "fantastic" to have a one-to-one conversation with Eilidh Doyle

Falkirk police officer David Bellingham, 47, who allowed his call with Eilidh Doyle to be shared publicly, was hospitalised in January 2021.

He said he was struggling to find motivation, and frustrated at being off work for two months.

Mr Bellingham said: "Speaking to Eilidh was fantastic, listening to someone who has had setbacks in their career and how they've dealt with it."

He said the sports star had shared "simple advice, but really good advice."

He said: "Listen to what your body is telling you, don't look way beyond what you can control, set daily targets rather than weekly or monthly.

"Speaking to her was a motivation to get back out there and get back to work - it was night and day to where I was before."

Eilidh Doyle said she was pleased to be part of the "fantastic project"

Eilidh Doyle said that having one-to-one conversations was a more relaxed way of offering advice.

She said: "It's a chat, it's not a formal presentation or speech.

"So all I'm doing is sharing stories, sharing experiences and hoping that something will help and will resonate and have an impact.

"It was really useful for me, for athletes - it allows you to pick up what you've learned in your career that's transferrable and relatable."

Abertay University's professor of duty of care in sport, David Lavallee said: "Sports people have never been more aware of the role they can play in their communities.

"This project was inspired by the incredible ability of sports people to care and pass on their experiences in positive ways to others across society."