The City of Sheffield has secured the return of the Westfield Health British Transplant Games for the summer of 2026.
Previously hosted in Sheffield in 2013, the multi-sport Games will attract over three thousand registered participants, including one thousand athletes who have received a lifesaving organ transplant or stem cell transplant.
The Games is the flagship event of the charity Transplant Active, and will include twenty-four sports over four days, attracting sixty teams representing their transplant units from across the UK. It is one of the largest multi-sport Games in the UK, and whilst its economic impact will be significant, the social and health impacts are the main driving force behind the Games, promoting organ donation and the benefits of transplantation.
Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Skills Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “The Games are a festival of sporting, physical and social participation promoting and celebrating life.
“We are delighted that many of the events will be staged in and around Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, which further enhances the message around physical activity improving people’s life expectancy and quality of life.”
Dr Chris Low, Chief Executive of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, said: “We are thrilled that Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park will play a key role in hosting the British Transplant Games next year. The Park is designed to be a hub of excellence where sport, health, research, and innovation intersect, making it an ideal setting for an event that showcases the incredible resilience and achievements of transplant athletes.
“These Games not only highlight the life-changing impact of organ donation but also reinforce the importance of physical activity in enhancing long-term health outcomes. We look forward to welcoming athletes, supporters, and spectators to Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and celebrating this inspirational event.”
Dr Paul Harden, Chair of Transplant Active, was delighted to see the Games returning to the city. “The facilities in Sheffield are wonderful and the city provides a very compact Games across the vast range of sports. But I think it will be a special Games as one of our valued long-term partners are Westfield Health who are based in the city, and together with all our sponsors and partners, will ensure these are an outstanding Games, leaving a legacy of greater awareness for the ongoing need for more donors.”
The 2025 Games this summer will be in Oxfordshire, and Sheffield will again be represented through its adult team, who mainly comprise of athletes with a kidney transplant, many of whom were transplanted in Sheffield.
