DNA to Feature at UK’s School Games
26th June 2026

Marking an important milestone in the continuing story of Dynamic New Athletics, the mixed-gender team format developed by European Athletics will be used for the athletics competition at this year’s multi-sport School Games National Finals in the United Kingdom.

In addition to providing the participants with an exciting new way to experience the sport, the event will further increase awareness of DNA in one of Europe’s strongest athletics nations, where the format already has a significant foothold.

The idea is the brainchild of Dean Hardman, a development activities consultant who will lead the organisation of the athletics element at the event on behalf of England Athletics.

Hardman, who has closely followed the development of mixed-team, short-programme competition formats including DNA for nearly a decade since serving as manager of Team England at Usain Bolt’s 2017 Nitro Athletics events in Australia, sees the use of DNA for the Games Finals as an opportunity for young athletes to join the country’s talent development pathway.

“All the coaches and competition officials who have experienced DNA over the years have been quite positive and everyone recognises that the format can be especially attractive for youngsters who are not yet fully committed to athletics but do enjoy competing and being part of a team where everyone’s effort counts towards the final result,” he says.

Welcoming Hardman’s initiative, European Athletics vice president Cherry Alexander said: “We are delighted that Dean has been able to bring our DNA concept into a prestigious national event like the School Games National Finals.”

“It is certain to be a special occasion, an exciting and meaningful competition that taps into the country’s talent pool of athletes and exposes DNA to new audiences.”

The Competition Programme

Comprising ten teams of 22 U18 athletes each, the Schools Games National Finals DNA competition will take place at Loughborough University on 4 and 5 September.

Seven of the competing teams will represent specially drawn regions of broadly equal populations in England and they will be joined by three national teams representing Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The UK’s four national athletics associations (England Athletics, Scottish Athletics, Welsh Athletics and Athletics Northern Ireland) will be responsible for team selection.

The four-match tournament will comprise two preliminary five-team matches on Day One with A and B finals on Day Two.

According to Hardman, the disciplines and timetable for tournament will based on last year’s European DNA U20 Clubs in Leiria, Portugal, with the addition of four scoring Paralympic disciplines, underlining the Schools Games commitment to fully integrated competition.

As at all DNA competitions, team points collected from each discipline throughout the match will determine the starting order and time gaps for the final mixed medley relay, the Hunt, which will decide the final result.

Hardman added that the entire tournament will be live streamed, which he expects to draw a large audience of young people, boost awareness of DNA and possibly inspire demand for the format to be used in more events around the country.

DNA in Great Britain

Any increase in awareness about DNA resulting from the tournament at the Schools Games National Finals will build on an already well-established base of experience in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The country’s DNA history stretches back to the highly successful 2022 staging of the first international indoor match at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, which featured the participation of elite teams representing England, Scotland and Wales in addition to Portugal and the eventual champions Spain.

The following year, the GBR U20 team took home top honours from the European Athletics DNA U20 Indoor match in Madrid, besting teams from Spain, Czech Republic, Ireland, France and Portugal.

At the club level, Blackheath and Bromley Harriers is one of an exclusive group of just three teams that have competed in all four editions of the European DNA U20 Clubs, known as the “Clash of the Clubs”, their top result being second place overall in 2022.

The Schools Games

The UK’s School Games is an annual, multi-level programme first established in 2006 that is designed to put physical activity and competitive sport at the heart of school activities.

Funded by Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust with the support of national sport governing bodies, the programme starts with intra-school competitions in a wide range of sports and guides students to the national stage for the biennial School Games National Final.

As the the pinnacle of the UK school sport calendar, the National Final gives young athletes the experience of travelling to and competing in a major multi-sport environment similar to the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games.

In 2024, the National Final featured more than 1,500 competitors across 11 sports.

More information is available at https://www.yourschoolgames.com and https://www.schoolgamesfinals.org