Team GB honours life of Sir Ben Helfgott on visit to Auschwitz

Team GB visited Auschwitz-Birkenau on Monday after arriving in Poland for the 2023 European Games. 

The Holocaust Educational Trust facilitated the tour and led the team through the Nazi death camp.

Team GB honoured the victims of the Holocaust and showed particular respect for the life of Holocaust survivor and British Olympian Sir Ben Helfgott who passed away earlier this month at the age of 93.

“In recognising the legacy and diversity of our great Olympians, we wanted to take time to visit the former Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, and pause to reflect on the great loss suffered by the Jewish community,” Scott Field, Director of Marketing and Communications at Team GB said.

“This is particularly important given where we are currently competing, in nearby Krakow, and even more so given the sad passing of Sir Ben Helfgott, who truly embodied the values and spirit of the Olympic Movement. Our thanks go to the Holocaust Educational Trust, whose support to facilitate this visit has been exceptional. Their work remains as important as ever,” Field added.

Holocaust Educational Trust Chief Executive, Karen Pollock said he was proud to facilitate the “important” visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau by Team GB.

We are hugely grateful to the delegation for giving up their time to learn more and to pay their respects to the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered during the Holocaust. Even more poignant is the delegation’s special tribute to Sir Ben Helfgott, an Olympian himself – I am sure he would have been proud that this important visit has taken place,” Pollock said.

“We know the power of role models and believe that future Olympians in schools across the country will be inspired by the dedication and values displayed on this visit by the delegation from Team GB,” she added.