About Eric Liddell
Eric Liddell was a Scottish sprinter, rugby player, and Christian missionary. Although he was born in Tianjin, North China, Eric had strong links to Scotland and Edinburgh. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, represented Scotland in Rugby and Athletics, lived and taught in Edinburgh.
At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, Liddell refused to run in the heats for his favoured 100 metres because they were held on a Sunday. Instead he competed in the 400 metres held on a weekday, a race that he won. He returned to China in 1925 to serve as a missionary teacher. Aside from two furloughs in Scotland, he remained in China until his death in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945.
Liddell’s Olympic training and racing, and the religious convictions that influenced him, are depicted in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire.
The story of Eric Liddell is important not only because of his sporting success but also his values and the good he brought to those he met. The story of his remarkable life and work continues to inspire people today.
Our Vision
To create a global community that celebrates Eric Liddell’s inspirational legacy, values and integrity.
Our Mission
To bring his achievements to life for everyone, and inspire new generations to make a positive impact on their community, their society and their world.
Our Values
We believe that any individual can make a positive impact on the world if they approach the challenges they face with passion, compassion and integrity.
Passion
Enthusiasm, dedication, optimism, self-belief
Compassion
Humility, selflessness, respect, care, community-minded
Integrity
Discretion, loyalty, self-sacrifice, principled
Workstreams
These ambitious aims are being achieved through the creation of three workstreams covering educational, sporting and cultural developments:
- Educational: Development of physical and online resources to support learning in schools, universities, and adult learning.
- Sporting and Physical Activity: Promoting the legacy of Eric Liddell’s sporting success through participation, engagement, fun and competition across multiple disciplines.
- Cultural: The creation of an Eric Liddell Exhibition and other cultural celebrations in keeping with his legacy.
Get Involved
The Eric Liddell 100 is a partnership initiative, we are extremely grateful to all of our partners that are supporting this work as we could not have developed such ambitious plans alone!
There are many ways that you can support our work, including:
Helping to deliver the plans
We will be working closely with schools, sporting and cultural organisations to develop and implement this initiative. If you or your team could help bring this global initiative to life, we would love to hear from you.
Raising awareness & promoting our work
One of our key aims is to raise awareness of Eric Liddell, his achievements and values. If you can help by sharing information about The Eric Liddell 100 through your networks, media connections and social media platforms, this would be greatly appreciated.
Making connections
We are collaborative by nature and cannot realise our vision alone. If you can introduce us to prospective partners, supporters or funders who would be interested in this pioneering initiative, please do put us in touch.
Fundraising
Can you or your organisation help to fund our plans? We are developing opportunities for sponsorship and we would love to hear from you if you can offer any support.
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