Paralympic dreams are being crushed due to a lack of funding says Mencap
Today, Mencap launches a new campaign highlighting the lack of support for elite athletes with a learning disability.
As a consequence of the Paralympic Games ban, athletes with a learning disability have not been able to access the programmes that are designed to support and foster talent.
Mencap is committed to ensuring that athletes have the opportunity to compete at the London 2012 Paralympics. We are confident that the current ban on participation will be lifted in time, but athletes must also be given the best possible chance to train and prepare for the Games.
Despite being amongst the best in the world, athletes with a learning disability have had to raise their own funds to train, compete and perform at the highest level. This amounts to many thousands of pounds each year.
Clare Ryan is one of England’s best female athletes, but her mum told us “We raise money through fundraising events like raffles and auctions. We have to rely on other people’s money, which just isn’t ideal at all. We are trying our best, but at times it’s simply not enough. Athletes with a learning disability shouldn’t be charity cases – it’s like we have stepped back in time by 50 years.”
Mencap wants the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to work with the governing bodies of sport to make funding available immediately in order for athletes to be fully trained to compete in London 2012.
For more information visit www.mencap.org.uk/paralympics
Mencap Newsletters can be fond on our Equity