RICHMOND MP Rishi Sunak joined a world champion to urge more young people to get involved in sport.
Along with Rachael Mackenzie, a World Thai boxing champion, he urged students at Bedale High School to take up and maintain their participation in sport.
The students, and Mr Sunak, were put through their paces by Rachael, who was visiting the school as part of the Sky Sports Living For Sport programme.
The programme aims to teach students that the values they learn in sport, about teamwork, communication, and leadership, are valuable in other aspects of life.
The students attended a series of workshops and practical sessions and heard Rachael deliver a motivational talk. Mr Sunak also spoke to the students about the importance of sport in his life.
Mr Sunak said: “It was great to meet Rachael. Her presentation certainly packed a punch and demonstrated the power of sport to transform lives.
“Sport has always been important to me because you can learn such a lot, about working in teams and overcoming adversity. It can make you a much stronger person.”
Miss Mackenzie, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, is one of 140 world-class Sky athlete mentors who tour schools around the UK spreading the word about the benefits of sport.
She took up boxing while studying physiotherapy at university and has topped the thai boxing rankings in two weight categories. She has also won two British titles, a European title and was the first European woman to compete in traditional bare-knuckle Thai boxing in Thailand.