Six-time GB Olympian and the first black British woman to win Olympic gold champions the role of diagnostic imaging in sports medicine
Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist for javelin, Tessa Sanderson CBE, has been re-appointed as Canon Medical Systems UK Business Ambassador for 2022. She will be representing the Canon brand during its role as ‘Official Imaging Supporter’ at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, while also spearheading wider communication of how valuable sports diagnostic imaging is from her personal and professional experience.
Tessa has over 26 years’ track and field sporting experience at the highest possible level and has gained many accolades and held many business, trade and sporting roles. These include Vice Chair of Sports England, Sports Reporter with Sky News and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), the highest-ranking order of the British Empire awarded by the Queen in recognition of her positive work.
“The role of medical imaging in sports and exercise medicine is invaluable today,” states Tessa Sanderson. “The polyclinics, with Canon Medical imaging systems inside, at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will be a fantastic opportunity for athletes from around the world to have medical imaging examinations. In some cases, many simply won’t have access to this sort of care in their home countries. This will help with understanding injury, rehabilitation stages and learning more about the impact of sports on their bodies.”
“When I was injured in 1981 by rupturing my Achilles Tendon, I was out of action for two years. At that time, there wasn’t the depth of sports medicine diagnostic imaging we see today to provide a quick and detailed diagnosis to get the right treatment. Taking time out of training and competition is not a good thing for professional and upcoming sports people. Today, there is so much more access and innovation through MRI, X-ray and ultrasound to understand injury, prevention and rehabilitation to get people back into their careers as fast as possible. This is so important in modern sports,” Tessa adds.
Mark Hitchman, Managing Director of Canon Medical Systems UK states, “Tessa Sanderson’s re-appointment as Canon Medical UK Business Ambassador is most welcome for this incredible, multi-sporting calendar year in the UK. She brings a unique energy to our organisation that fuses the important elements of sports, business and health. Her role will be incredibly valuable to help us communicate the importance of diagnostic imaging to both elite and community-based sports people and clinicians.”
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place from 28 July to 8 August 2022 with around 6,500 athletes and officials from 72 nations and territories competing in 19 sports including eight para-sports across 15 competition venues.
Picture caption: Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist for javelin, Tessa Sanderson CBE, has been re-appointed as Canon Medical Systems UK Business Ambassador for 2022.