Balliol was going for gold on Saturday, as the ORA Olympics raced into view. Everyone was keen to get the weekend off to a flying start, and the students jumped into action, clearing every hurdle in order to make that happen!

They were joined at the event by teams from some of the other Oxford campuses, and relished the chance to defend Balliol’s ceremonial paddle against their rivals. The students displayed a lot of athletic prowess, as they battled across a variety of events including the tug of war and several sprint events.

The teams were boisterously cheered on by those on the sidelines, with the counsellors just as passionate as the students when it came to showing their colours! Despite some light-hearted needle, everyone embraced the spirit of fair play and there was a jovial atmosphere for the whole day.

The Balliol team performed admirably in the face of some stiff competition, completely dominating the running races, and all of the students can take great pride in their display. All of the students from each campus gave it their all, but in the end our  team walked away victorious, to gracious praise from everyone else. Well done, Balliol!

Our students even snagged an extra, sneaky victory as they stole one of the other campuses’ paddles without them realising!

Later in the day, the students made time for some last minute preparation ahead of Sunday’s Great Debate. The whole campus has been buzzing ahead of the event, and everyone has been dedicated in readying themselves – which should stand them in good stead!