Randox provides Team GB’s COVID testing for Beijing Winter Olympic Games
Randox provides Team GB’s COVID testing for Beijing Winter Olympic Games
Tuesday 01 February 2022
Gold standard testing for Great Britain’s Olympians: Randox provides Team GB’s COVID-19 testing for Beijing Winter Olympic Games
As part of the two-year partnership between Randox and The British Olympic Association, the Team GB Olympians competing in the Olympic Winter Games 2022 have used Randox COVID-19 tests to ensure they touch down in Beijing free of COVID and have the best possibility opportunity to compete without the fear of being ruled out on health grounds.
The ‘stop the virus’ logistics drive mirrors a similar and highly successful regime which ensured that Team GB landed in Japan for the 2020 Olympic Games COVID-free, and that no athlete was forced to withdraw in Tokyo because of infection or close contact with someone who had tested positive.
Despite fears that the virus could impact Team GB’s Olympic hopes, the rigorous testing programme put in place helped UK sporting stars to rack up 54 medals – their best-ever performance at an overseas Games bar the 67 medals won in Rio in 2016.
To provide its gold-standard PCR testing services, Randox created a bespoke dashboard for Team GB to register its samples, which will be taken by the Team GB Clinical Team and then transported to the company’s laboratories which are located in Manchester, Greater London and Northern Ireland.
Randox is testing a delegation of 200 Olympians, coaches and support staff in order to meet China’s testing requirements and thereby minimising possible transmission of the virus in Beijing. Randox is providing each member of Team GB with four rounds of pre-departure tests and can offer rapid same-day testing on the day of flying as an extra precaution.
At the time of the announcement of the partnership between Randox and the British Olympic Association, in June 2021, Randox Managing Director, Dr Peter FitzGerald, said:
“We are delighted to be supporting Team GB by helping them get safely to the starting line in Tokyo with our premium Covid-19 testing services, the provision of which has been a major focus of ours since the outbreak of the pandemic. Over the last year, we have been investing significantly in our customer service and testing capacity, which means Randox can now process over 500,000 tests per day, making it the largest laboratory in Europe, and to date has processed over 13 (now 23) million tests. For this reason, our Olympians and anyone else who needs to travel internationally can rest assured that they will receive timely results.”
British Olympic Association CEO, Andy Anson, said:
“This is a fantastic and vital partnership for Team GB ahead of Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022. We have committed to our hosts in Japan and the IOC to ensure that our delegation is fully vaccinated and are also ensuring we have enhanced Covid testing in place. Randox’s pedigree in this area gives us great confidence that we are providing athletes with the best possible medical support around Covid testing and that they get to the start line safely ready to compete successfully for the biggest moment of their sporting careers.”
Randox, with almost 40 years of international diagnostics experience, has been at the forefront of COVID-19 testing since the outset of the pandemic. With proven testing capability and well-established logistics and customer support services, Randox are strongly placed to allow international travellers to travel with confidence.
Pictured with a Randox COVID-19 Predeparture Test is English freestyle skier Katie Summerhayes
For further information on Covid testing services please contact the Randox Covid Customer Support team on 028 9434 3005.
For press enquiries please contact Amy Millar in the Randox PR team: randoxpr@randox.com
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Contact us or visit Randox Health.
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Randox Strengthening Ties Between Northern Ireland and China
Off the back of its key involvement in this month’s prestigious China Summit held in Belfast, global diagnostics company Randox Laboratories has this week taken a delegation of representatives to China to reach out to existing and potential business partners.
Having exported its diagnostic products to China for over 25 years, the healthcare firm cites the country as one of its most important markets, and regularly hosts conferences and training events in the capital city for its vast distributor network.
Earlier this year, following 18 months of extensive market research and infrastructural developments, Randox launched a new market expansion initiative in China to help strengthen business relationships and increase exports – a programme which Global Sales Manager Susan Hammond credits with having accelerated demand for Randox products.
Susan Hammond, who manages Randox’s expansion in the Chinese market commented;
“At Randox we actively seek to strengthen the ties between Northern Ireland and China, and the recent China Summit in Belfast goes to show that relationships between our two countries are at an all-time high.
“We’re delighted to have had the opportunity to contribute to the discussions around collaborative opportunities in economic development, education, health and life sciences at the China Summit and to share our personal success story in the Chinese market.
“The summit marks a significant milestone in Northern Ireland’s relationship with China, and its very existence is testament to the success of the innovative market strategies of key businesses and institutions across NI.”
As well as meeting with business partners across China this week, Randox also hosted over 250 guests at performances by world-famous concert pianist and International Tchaikovsky competition winner Barry Douglas, in the Forbidden City Concert Hall of Beijing and in the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Susan continued;
“Our sponsorship of Barry Douglas and his Camerata Ireland orchestra is important for the work we undertake in promoting Northern Ireland to Chinese audiences. We can showcase not only the science and innovation that come from our shores, but also the breadth of cultural talent.
“Hosting Chinese delegates, corporates, and academic professionals at Barry Douglas performances in China provides us with the perfect platform to help build connections and identify areas for business collaboration. It is a rare opportunity to be able to visit key business partners while simultaneously supporting our young musicians in their careers.”
Barry Douglas, Founder and Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland said;
“I am thrilled to be here in China to play for our Chinese guests – there is nothing quite like music in its ability to connect with people from all walks of life across the globe. It is a pleasure to be able to use music as a vehicle for strengthening relationships in both business and the arts, and even more so to be able to share it with the wonderfully generous team from Randox.”
For further information about Randox’s expansion in the Chinese market, please contact Randox PR by phoning 028 9445 1016 or emailing RandoxPR@randox.com
We Are Randox | Bicycles, BBQs and Beijing: Joel’s summer in China
Working in a global company like Randox opens many doors for our 1400-strong workforce, one of which being the opportunity to travel. For people who want to see the world, experience other cultures and meet new people, we have LOTS of opportunities to do so.
It’s no surprise therefore that we value ambitious and enthusiastic employees who enjoy the excitement of a new challenge, and a new adventure!
And that’s just what our Marketing Executive, Joel Woods, did this summer. After spending his placement year with us here at Randox, and then completing his final year of studies at Ulster University in Jordanstown, Joel was offered the opportunity to complete an internship in Beijing, the capital of China.
The experiences, new perspectives, and understanding of a different culture that he acquired during his time in China are just a few of the reasons why we love to hear from well-travelled individuals like Joel.
Here’s his story.
Given that I work in the Testing and Toxicology division here at Randox, it’s quite ironic that while I was at school I actually wanted a career in Forensic Science, rather than in Business. I even completed my lower sixth work experience with the PSNI.
I went to Ballyclare High School and studied Business Studies, ICT, Geography and Biology for A-Level. An encouraging and interesting school teacher during my GCSEs had made Business Studies more appealing, and so I decided to take it at A-Level. When studying it in my final year my mind had completely turned from forensics toward business, so I then went on to study Marketing at Ulster University.
During my time at university I completed a placement year with Randox within their marketing team. I worked primarily on Customer Relationship Management; providing support for sales reps and other marketing teams, running reports for top level managers, developing marketing campaigns and writing blogs. It was a fantastic experience getting to work on such a wide variety of marketing activities and was a great insight into the operations of a global company. It set me in really good stead for my final year of university because I had a point of reference in the real working world for everything that I was learning.
Come the end of my final year at Jordanstown I was presented with an opportunity to go to China on a two month internship based in Beijing. To have a funded internship by the British Council was an excellent opportunity to enhance my CV with international experience, and I had never been to Asia before so this was a chance I wasn’t going to let pass me by.
For the two months I was in China I worked in a small firm based in the western district of Beijing (Sanlitun). The firm was called PAPP’S TEA, a small tea manufacturer. My job title was Marketing Intern which involved updating their website, creating blogs, engaging audiences on social media, working closely with graphic designers about brand guidelines and supporting events for the launch of new products. Everything I had learnt during my placement year in Randox was put to good use!
The weather in China was permanently overcast and very rarely dropped below 30 degrees. Most of the food that I tried was incredible, but portions were always small. One of the interesting things about Chinese culture is that you never order a single meal for yourself, but rather a few dishes are ordered and everyone shares. I therefore had the unfortunate experience of sampling chicken feet…not tasty at all and they were more cartilage than meat! The language was also very difficult to understand but gradually as my time went on I began picking up words – a few greetings here and there, phrases used to order food from a menu, and how to pay for the bill at restaurants.
During my weekends I was usually free which gave a great opportunity to do all the touristy things. One of my favourite memories of China was camping on the Great Wall during my second weekend there. A group of us, mostly interns from the UK, got ourselves a tour guide and camping gear, hiked to the great wall and camped overnight. We had a barbeque, a campfire and watched the sun setting and rising. It was absolutely stunning.
My other main highlight from China was seeing Shanghai. We booked a hostel in the centre of Shanghai, from which almost everything we wanted to see was within walking distance. Walking around Shanghai felt like walking around London. The whole city was completely western, and so it didn’t feel like I was in China. Nevertheless, it was still an incredible experience visiting one of the most populated cities on the planet (26 million people).
The best moment during my time in Shanghai was using the public bicycles to see the city. Three of us chose to see the city by night and so we started our journey at midnight when the city was totally empty. It was so surreal. We got to see more of the city in one night than we ever did during the rest of the weekend!
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in China and would recommend an internship with the British Council to anyone who is thinking about gaining international experience. It can only ever be a good thing to see more of the ever-advancing technological world we live in, especially if you are working in a global company like Randox.
Upon returning to Randox as a permanent member of staff I now deal with clients all around the globe, and so the experience gained from my internship has been of such great benefit. My time there has helped me understand how business is dealt from another culture and I can’t wait for my next big adventure.
We’re so delighted Joel had a positive experience during his time in Beijing and has returned to Randox full of enthusiasm and exciting ideas! Welcome back to the team Joel.
For more We Are Randox stories about our amazing colleagues, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and follow the hashtag #WeAreRandox.
For current vacancies in our team, visit careers.randox.com
