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Disability Sports

For a young person with a disability, sport can be so much more than just a game. It's a priceless opportunity to make new friends and build self-esteem in a supportive community of your peers. That's why Easy Riders Wheelchairs has stepped up its provision of special sports wheelchairs in recent years, and why the Variety Club currently supports both local recreational sports clubs and top-flight Paralympic prospects.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be an amazing opportunity for Great Britain's leading disabled athletes. The Variety Club has joined forces with SportsAid to help young sporting talent across the country. We currently support athletes aiming for selection in 2012 in 12 different Paralympic disciplines, including track and field events, basketball, swimming and dressage.

A T54 wheelchair racer, in 2009 he won the World Under 18 titles at 100m, 200m, 1,500m and 5,000m with his racing chair provided by Easy Riders. Not content with sweeping the board in stadium contests, he won his fifth Adidas Mini London Marathon title this year. Now a training partner of Double Paralympic Champion David Weir, he has his sights firmly set on the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

“I’d like to thank Easy Riders for their great support and financing the racing chair that helped me have such a successful year in 2009. The charity does fantastic work to help young people like me take the next step in their sporting career.”

Daniel Lucker

The Variety Club and SportsAid have been working hand-in-hand to help the next generation of Paralympic champions through their “Reach for the Stars” programme. In Year-1, this new partnership has benefited over 50 athletes who received a significant award supporting equipment, training and travel costs. SportsAid, the Charity for Sportspeople has helped young emerging talent for the past 33 years.

Athletes are identified by the sport’s National Governing Bodies and nominated directly to SportsAid. SportsAid’s credentials are excellent. At the Beijing Paralympics, 18 SportsAid athletes brought home a total of 31 medals – 18 of these were gold. If SportsAid was a country it would have came 6th in the Beijing Paralympics medal table. For more information, visit the SportsAid website www.sportsaid.org.uk.

When the Variety Club makes a commitment, it invariably makes a genuine impact. SportsAid is delighted to be in partnership with Variety Club to help talented athletes with a disability. It will make a huge difference and at such an exciting time for British sport
Tim Lawler, Chief Executive of SportsAid