Max Whitlock: Triple Olympic champion backs children trying 'multiple sports'

Max Whitlock has won 15 major gymnastics titles during his career and 33 medals

Triple Olympic champion Max Whitlock believes helping children from families struggling financially can have a lifechanging impact on them.

He is backing a new scheme set up by Team GB and the Aldi supermarket chain to allow children to try an Olympic or Paralympic sport for free.

Whitlock told BBC Essex that sport was good for physical and mental wellbeing.

"I'm a huge advocate for children trying multiple sports, to open as many doors as possible for them," he said.

"When you look at some of the research, almost three in 10 children in struggling households don't do any sports clubs outside of school, none at all.

"I think everybody knows the physical benefits that people can get, and children get, from sport but it's so much wider than that.

"Having a different circle of friends is really important socially. They're learning so many skills, working as a team, working as an individual, setting challenges, having a passion, having a real purpose that you can feel a real sense of improvement with.

"And just gaining confidence in different environments is so important. You feel uncomfortable at first, which is very normal. If you build that confidence and try different clubs, different sports, it's only going to build skills for life."

Whitlock, who won floor exercise and pommel horse golds at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and retained the latter title in Tokyo, focused on gymnastics and swimming as a child, but his own daughter is also involved in tennis, dancing and, occasionally, skiing.

"If you have the opportunity to try some stuff, grab it with both hands," he said.

"There's definitely more needs to be done towards getting equal access for everybody all around the country, especially struggling households. That access can be a lot harder, especially with the cost of living crisis.

"I'm training in a gym with two and three years olds and it's incredible to see that. I started when I was seven. To see these kids starting so young is a real positive feeling."

Having overcome an injury which forced him to pull out of the European Championships, 30-year-old Whitlock is now "full throttle" in preparation for the World Championships at the end of the year and next summer's Paris Olympics.

He says he is now in a better place following the mental health issues which prompted him to take a break following the Tokyo Games in 2021.

"I didn't realise how common it is for people of all ages to feel like that, what I describe as a real rut, where I struggled with motivation, struggled with getting up every day, feeling lost. That is so common it's unbelievable," he said.

"It's not perfect every day when I set foot in the gym, you're going to have those days when you struggle, when you make mistakes, you're going to have competitions when you feel like you haven't done as well as you could, it's very normal, everybody has it.

"I didn't realise how many people it would benefit, me talking and being more open. It's a huge positive because it's a reset to go again to set new targets and having a more positive outlook."