Alan Pascoe

Alan Peter Pascoe, MBE (born 11 October 1947) was a British athlete who gained success in hurdles. After his athletics career, he has been successful in events marketing and consulting.

Early life and education

Pascoe was born in Portsmouth, England. He was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School. He undertook higher education at Borough Road College, Isleworth, where he received a Certificate in Education, and the University of London, where he received an Honours degree in Education. He married Della Patricia James in 1970. They have one son and one daughter.^[1]

Achievements as a competitor

Medals

Pascoe won medals in the Olympic Games, the European Championships, and the Commonwealth Games.,^[2] also the European Indoor Games.

The 1974 Commonwealth Games victory achieved two distinctions, first as achieving the second fastest 400 metre hurdle race to that date (only behind the then world record by David Hemery at 48.8, despite running in the outside lane. Then in celebration performed one of the great televised bloopers. While doing his victory lap in reverse, Pascoe attempted to leap the last hurdle still remaining from the race and badly missed the hurdle, falling onto his back and denting the hurdle. Trying to regain his dignity, he circled around to attempt the jump the hurdle in another lane and fell identically. Laughing it off, he got up again and started turning over the other hurdles. See the video.

Olympics:

• Silver, 4 x 400 m Relay, 1972

European Championships:

• Bronze, 110 m Hurdles, 1969
• Silver, 110 m Hurdles, 1971
• Gold, 400 m Hurdles, 1974
• Gold, 4 x 400 m Relay, 1974

Commonwealth Games:

• Gold, 400 m Hurdles, 1974
• Silver, 4 x 400 m Relay, 1974
• Bronze, 400 m Hurdles, 1978

European Indoor Games:

• Gold, 50 m Hurdles, 1969

Personal bests

Pascoe's personal best times are:^[3]

• 200 m, 15 July 1972, London, 20.92
• 110 m Hurdles, 17 June 1972, Edinburgh, 13.79
• 400 m Hurdles, 30 June 1975, Stockholm, 48.59

Career outside competitive athletics

Pascoe competed in athletics at a time when it was supposed to be an amateur activity. He thus needed paid employment during his athletics career. He was a teacher at Dulwich College (1971–1974), and a lecturer in physical education at Borough Road College, Isleworth (1974–1980).^[1]

Pascoe was also able to get financial support during the 1970s from membership of several QUANGOs; the Sports Council (1974–1980), the Minister for Sports' Working Party on Centres of Sporting Excellence (1975–1979), and the BBC Advisory Council (1975–1979).^[1]

After competitive athletics, Pascoe became involved in events marketing and consulting. He set up Alan Pascoe Associates Ltd. (later named API),^[4] of which he was Director (1976–1983), Managing Director (1983), Chairman (1985–1988) and CEO (1994–1998).^[1] Pascoe sold API in 1998, then started another company, Fast Track Events Ltd., of which he is the Chairman.^[4]

Other business appointments were as a Director of the Aegis Group (later named WCRS) (1986–1992) and Chairman of Carat Sponsorship (1987–1992).^[1]

Pascoe criticised the British government for withdrawing from hosting the World Athletics Championships in 2001. He claimed that the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, had broken a written undertaking to host the games. Pascoe believed that the decision amounted to the sport being cold-bloodedly "stabbed in the back". He believed that Blair had damaged Britain, by making the nation look foolish, and by causing the loss of both GBP 15-20 million in revenue, and a stadium suitable for top-class athletics. Such a stadium, he believed, was essential for developing home talent into world-class athletes.^[4]

In September 2003, Pascoe was appointed vice-chairman of the London bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics,^[5] which was ultimately successful.^[6]

Honours

Pascoe received an MBE in 1975 and an honorary doctorate from Brunel University in 1997.^[1]

See also

• Olympic medalists in athletics (men)
• Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 1972 Summer Olympics
• Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 1976 Summer Olympics
• 1969 European Championships in Athletics
• 1971 European Championships in Athletics
• 1974 European Championships in Athletics
• 1974 British Commonwealth Games
• 1978 Commonwealth Games

Sources

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Who's Who 2005: An Annual Biographical Dictionary (157th annual edition ed.). London: A & C Black. ISBN 0-7136-7010-X. 
2. ^ "Alan Pascoe". sporting-heroes.net. http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=2501. Retrieved 2005-12-27. 
3. ^ "Alan Pascoe". Team Southampton. http://www.teamsolent.co.uk/profiles/pascoe.htm. Retrieved 2005-12-27. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Hubbard, Alan (2002-01-06). "A sport stabbed in the back, a nation and its youngsters badly let down". The Independent Online Edition. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020106/ai_n9672682. 
5. ^ "London appoints vice-chairmen" (Press release). London 2012. 2003-09-11. http://www.london2012.org/en/news/press%20room/releases/2003/september/2003-09-16-11-25.htm. 
6. ^ Naughton, Philippe (2005-07-06). "London wins 2012 Olympic bid". Times Online. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4662-1682910,00.html. 

Further reading

• Photograph of Alan Pascoe, from the BBC website
• Pascoe, Alan; & Hubbard, Alan (1979). Pascoe: The Story of an Athlete. London: S Paul. ISBN 0-09-134980-X. 
• Fast Track Events Ltd., website of Pascoe's sports events marketing company