Zara Tangi making waves on the world stage

As the recipient of the Scholarship Award, Zara will join the GB Transplant Sport Therapy team for the duration of the World Transplant Games 2025 in Dresden, Germany.

This opportunity will provide a unique opportunity for Zara who is in her second year of studies at Solent, to gain an advanced understanding of how Sports Therapy can be applied to individuals who have donated or who are recipients of organ and bone marrow transplants.

Zara’s application for the scholarship was supported by staff at Solent, who provided guidance on the initial video applications and the overall interview process. She then faced tough competition with applications open to all UK based students studying courses accredited by the Society of Sports Therapists.

Ultimately, Zara’s passion, professionalism and research paid off and she’ll be the sole student recipient of the Scholarship Award travelling to Dresden for the games next August (17-24).

Speaking about the opportunity, Zara said:

“One of the reasons that I chose to study Sports Therapy is because there is such a wide range of career paths you can choose to pursue. When I began my studies at Solent, I was so excited to explore these paths further and I promised myself I would throw myself at any opportunity that came my way.

“I can’t wait to get to Germany to build on my studies and the work I am already doing with sports teams near my family home.”

Dr Lynsey Northeast, Course Lead for Sports and Exercise Therapy, said:

“Zara is a fantastic example of the hard work that our students put in, both with their studies and when pursuing opportunities to gain workplace experience.

“We are fully committed to helping our students gain that experience, and our course provides all the essential professional skills and musculoskeletal expertise for them to succeed on placements and once they have graduated.”

Zara isn’t the only Sport and Exercise Therapy student to be gaining valuable experience within Transplant Sport. Aaron Grimes, Amy Robinson and James Curry have all been offered the opportunity to play a part at the British Transplant Games next Summer, with Zara also joining them.

These students are just the latest success stories from the course, with previous graduates going on to work at the highest level of professional sports, private practice and the NHS.

Part of the reason for Solent’s success in this area is the University’s professional sport and exercise science facilities, including fully equipped physiology, psychology, and biomechanics labs, health and exercise gyms, and sport and exercise therapy teaching spaces. Students can also practice their skills in our state-of-the-art teaching rooms and our student-led therapy clinic.