EFDS calls for providers to commit to grassroots games for everyone
Tonight, the nation tunes into the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games opening ceremony and for the next 11 days will get behind ParalympicsGB. The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) continues to back our elite sports stars and is always delighted to see so many golden moments. As the world once again focuses on sporting success, the national charity is calling for organisations to commit to inclusive sport and activity long after the Games are over. EFDS, in their work towards making active lives possible, is calling for more providers to ensure their opportunities are accessible for many more disabled people across the country.
EFDS is proud to have been a part of a number of the British team members’ careers. Many athletes, volunteers and staff involved in the Games have been supported by the charity on their road to sporting success. Over the years, we have been privileged to watch young disabled athletes turn into international champions through our very own programmes.
Our past and present programmes including Playground to Podium and Disability Sport Events have played a part in many athletes’ success. Over the years, we have been able to nurture talent in providing competition and pathways to international achievement. Several Paralympians about to make their debut in the Games were spotted through these programmes.
Approximately one in five of the ParalympicsGB team has taken part in an EFDS Disability Sport Event.
One of those making his debut is Ben Rowlings, who competes as a T34 track athlete (classification for people with Cerebral Palsy). Ben was our ambassador for our 2012 Pass the Baton campaign during the London Games (poster below). Four years on, he will take part in his first Paralympics.
To highlight the need for better inclusion and celebrate the Games on home soil, EFDS is publishing two stories a day under #GrassrootsGames. These feature 22 disabled people enjoying Paralympic sport in their local areas. The difference will be they are not elite sports stars, but regular disabled people taking part in parks, lakes and sports halls across England.
Barry Horne, Chief Executive of EFDS said:
“We know the Rio Paralympics promises a memorable experience for many and we are proud to have been an important step in the lives of many of those involved in the Games. However, it cannot and does not stop there. The team only represents a small number of disabled people and these are a talented minority. As much as the Paralympics is a terrific event not everyone is motivated by elite sport or talented people. We need to look beyond Rio and think about disabled people within all our programmes all year round.”
EFDS wishes Team ParalympicsGB all the best of success in Rio. Follow EFDS #GrassrootsGames stories from Thursday 8 until Sunday 18 September.
