Team England’s Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning men’s 3×3 basketball team returned to Paternoster Square beneath St Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate their tournament victory with local workers, residents, and visitors. The athletes, featuring Jamell Anderson, Ashley Hamilton, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, and Evan Walshe, visited the public pop-up court on Thursday, August 6, between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., bringing their gold medals back to the site where they helped launch London’s celebrations ahead of the Games.
The return of the champions highlights an urban revitalisation initiative led by the Central London Alliance, which installed the temporary basketball facility to animate central London’s public spaces through sport and community engagement. In May, the venue hosted the King’s Baton Relay celebrations, welcoming men’s, women’s, and wheelchair women’s basketball squads to run demonstrations and coaching sessions with schoolchildren, workers, residents and visitors before the international games began.
“This is exactly why Central London Alliance exists—to think differently about how our city works and how we can transform public spaces into places that inspire people,” said Tony Matharu, Chairman of the Central London Alliance, pointing to the role of urban sports activations in bringing diverse communities together in the heart of the capital.
Revitalising City Spaces Through Sport
The Paternoster Square basketball installation operates as a core component of the London Sports Festival, a wider public engagement programme designed to reimagine central London’s public spaces through sport. Since its launch, the activation has welcomed thousands of participants through free coaching sessions, corporate challenges, junior coaching, inclusive community programmes, wheelchair basketball, fitness classes and tournaments.
Organisers designed the pop-up venue to bridge elite athletics and grassroots participation. According to the Central London Alliance, the project’s success stems from cross-sector collaboration involving corporate partners, civic bodies, and sporting organisations. The venue received operational support from Blue Orchid Hospitality, Book It Please, and the Cheapside Business Alliance, alongside civic backing from the City of London Corporation and London 3×3. National Lottery funding distributed via Sport England enabled the provision of professional coaching and equipment throughout the festival’s schedule.
The venue’s impact extends beyond able-bodied competition. England’s wheelchair women’s 3×3 basketball team also captured gold at the Commonwealth Games, meaning the Paternoster Square court has served as a promotional ground for multiple championship-winning squads.
Public Engagement and Community Impact
During their August visit, the gold-medallists met with members of the public, posed for photographs, and discussed their journey. Local workers and families took part in recreational shooting competitions and watched live demonstrations on the court, which sits directly beneath the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral.
The London Sports Festival continues its scheduled roster of community coaching sessions, fitness classes, and corporate tournaments at Paternoster Square. Full details regarding upcoming events, court bookings, and community program timetables remain available via the official London Sports Festival portal.
Organisers encourage community members, local businesses, and visitors to check the festival schedule online to participate in upcoming inclusive sports programmes and open-access tournaments scheduled throughout the summer season.
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