Inspirational Bradford sports woman to be a Batonbearer for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Thursday, 14 April 2022 10:56

Inspirational Bradford sports woman Harleen Kaur from Bradford, has been chosen to be one of the Batonbearers for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonweath Games has released the names of nine of the thousands of inspirational people from communities across England who will take on the role of Batonbearer in the Queen’s Baton Relay this summer.

Batonbearers have been selected in all nine regions of England and embody the diversity in communities across the country. From local heroes to inspirational school children, the Batonbearers come from all walks of life, backgrounds and vary in age - with children as young as 12 taking part - and each take on issues that matter most to them.

Harleen has been chosen as one of the Batonbearers for the Yorkshire and Humber region which will be on the 12 and 13 of July.

Harleen Kaur, Yorkshire & The Humber
From Bradford, Harleen Kaur is a martial artist and kickboxing champion. She is a fantastic representative in sport for her country and women in the South Asian community.

As a young girl, Harleen’s passion for sport shone brightly and she went on to successfully compete in kickboxing and also coach at a high level, helping those who have faced barriers in accessing sport.

As a competitor, Harleen won British kickboxing gold in 2015, followed by silver in the World Martial Kombat Championships. She was the first British Asian female to represent England kickboxing in the world championships.

Harleen is also a keen volunteer, dedicating every summer to visits to Punjab in North India, supporting a sports charity, teaching life skills, English and self-defence. Driven by her passion to give back to communities, she also works as an ambassador for Sporting Equals and the Asian Sports Foundation who promote diversity within sport.

During the Covid-19 lockdown she noticed the potential of the communities of Asian women in Bradford. With this in mind, she founded Club Ekta, a sports club to empower and improve social, physical and mental wellbeing of women and children through sport. The club runs eight classes a week and within its first six months, gained 150 members. Club Ekta provides an opportunity for young people the chance to develop their skillsets through coaching.

In 2020, Harleen graduated from Leeds Beckett University with a degree in Sports Science. She is a fantastic role model for South Asian women and young women in sport. Her hard work and enthusiasm has been recognised far and wide and is the youngest ever recipient of NatWest’s Asian Women of Achievement Awards as Sportswoman of the year.
Harleen is a Batonbearer in recognition of her work within sports that brings South Asian women and women from other backgrounds to the forefront of sporting activity and athletics.

Phil Barker, Assistant Director of Sport and Culture at Bradford Council, said: “We’re delighted that Harleen has been chosen as one of the Community Batonbearers for the Queen’s Baton Relay as anticipation builds for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer. Harleen is a fantastic role model and champion for women and young people in sport and is great ambassador for the Bradford district.”

Harleen Kaur, Batonbearer, said: “It is such an honour to have been selected as a Batonbearer and to represent Yorkshire in the Queen’s Baton Relay. It feels so special to be recognised in this way for supporting the women in my area and the work I’ve done in India supporting the local communities there.”

The Baton is currently visiting the Cayman Islands, which is the Baton’s 50th destination out of 72. In the last 30 days, the Baton has visited Australia, Belize, Guyana, Grenada, The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos.

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