Another beautiful day in Sant Cugat and the boccia players were up bright and early to begin a 2 day boccia camp.  Players and support staff were involved in looking at various aspects of the technical game for example, analysis of throwing technique, positioning and throwing force. All players were active in the learning and took some great information to be used in the future.

Once again both swimming and athletics squads trained well in the morning and swimming had another training session later on in the day.  Two athletes were also seen for classification in the afternoon resulting in a long day which everyone handled well.

Technical meetings for swimming and athletics took place for coaches to keep them informed of the competition, any changes to the programme and have them an opportunity to ask questions.

CPISRA are also hosting the Proud Paralympian programme throughout the Games with various workshops for athletes to attend.  Some of the boccia squad took the opportunity this evening to listen to the inspirational speakers who were engaging and informative on the topics of Dual career and athlete wellbeing which were very worthwhile!

As part of the Games CPISRA held a General Assembly at the Exe Campus, Sant Cugat where all the international members met to discuss developments in CP Sport and the future direction of the organisation.  Following the business part of the meeting there was presentations on Wheelchair Slalom, RaceRunning and some of the research that has been taking place in the various universities.  In addition, CPISRA president, Peter Drysdale, provided an insight into the strategy of the organisation beyond the Games.

There was also time to network in our regions and Scotland had the opportunity to discuss key matters with the other European nations.  This was insightful and thought provoking as we considered the key priorities for CP sport and how best to work together.  The meeting ended on a high when CPISRA and the Asian Paralympic Committee signed a memorandum of understanding to work together for the benefit of CP athletes across the Asian nations.

It was clear to see that a lot of work has been done over the past couple of years and the future looks bright for the organisation.

After dinner at both accommodation sites everyone relaxed in preparation for tomorrow, after another successful days training.

Swimming have one last day of training, with the boccia players having day 2 of their camp! The athletics competition begins tomorrow (Thursday 9th August) with the following athletes competing:

• Abbie McInally – T37 100m
• Connaire McAlindon – F37 Shot put
• Gavin Drysdale – RR3 100m
• Lewis Clow – T37 Long Jump and 100m
• Nathan Blackie – T34 100m and 800m
• Ross Paterson – T38 100m
• Shelby Watson – T33 800m

The full schedule can be seen here.

Team Scotland had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the facilities at the CPISRA World Games and get their first training sessions under their belt, in all three sports.

Athletics and Swimming events are being held at the Centre d’Alt Rendiment (CAR) which is a high performance sports complex with World Class facilities, in the city of Sant Cugat.

The swimming squad and their coaches arrived at the facility first for a 9.30am training session, where coaches Jennifer Quinton and Andy Hemphill put the swimmers through their paces.  This allowed the swimmers to get used to their surroundings and enabled them to begin their preparations for the competition ahead.  Following the session, two of the swimmers were seen for International Classification, which is a major step in their International swimming careers.

The athletics squad and their coaches arrived at CAR for a 10am start.  After collecting and assembling equipment such as racing wheelchairs, throwing frames and race running bikes, the athletes began training at the track under the watchful eye of coaches Charlie Forbes, Pamela Robson and John Kinder.  The athletes coped well with a variety of stretches, drills and exercises in the excessive Catalan heat.

Following lunch at the venue, the athletes and the swimmers headed back to the hotels for some rest and recovery.

The boccia players had a more restful start to the day, as their first opportunity to access the Rambla del Celler facility, which has hosted many International Boccia Championships, was not until 3.00pm.  Due to the late start, the players and support staff explored the local area and enjoyed some Catalan culture.  National Coach, Andrinne Craig, prepared the players with a variety of stretches and training drills allowing the players to get used to the courts and the sports hall.  One of the major challenges for the players, will be overcoming the temperatures inside the hall.

After the team had dinner, transport arrived to take everyone to the Opening Ceremony at the La Guardinera facility.  Following a robust selection process, it was unanimously decided that Isaac Dunning (swimming) would lead Team Scotland into the arena as the official Flag Bearer.  The team were greeted with rapturous applause from an enthusiastic audience, and it was fantastic so many proud families and friends supporting.

The opening ceremony included a variety of acts with traditional Catalan dancing, a gymnastics display and a street dance display, followed by an inspirational address from multiple Paralympic medallist, Stephen Miller and local dignitaries.   The final act of the night was an impressive aerial dance and light display.

Tomorrow is another day of training for athletes and swimmers, whilst the boccia players begin a development camp.  The Games begin later this week.

Scotland U15’s and 19’s produced their best combined result at British Wheelchair’s Basketball Lord Taverners National Junior Championships over the weekend of Saturday 4^th & Sunday 5^th August.  The Championships welcomes junior players representing their regions and countries with all matches played at the University Arena, Worcester over the course of two days.

Over the two age groups, there were twenty teams (9 under 15’s and 11 under 19’s) battling it out to become National Champions at this year’s tournament, with the more senior of the Scottish sides coming very close to claiming victory as they lost out in the Gold medal match to a strong North West side (24 v 16).  The Scots were in impressive form, losing out only once on route to the final (27 v 18 against North West) while recording 4 victories including a 22 v 17 victory against West Midlands at the semi-final stage.  This result highlights the excellent progress of the under 19 side as they improved on their sixth place finish in 2017.

The young Scots introduced some new players to the under 15 set up and they were also able to taste victory over the weekend, defeating the North West convincingly on Saturday evening (20 v 4).  However, the youngsters were unable to match the under 19 squad result and were narrowly beaten in Sunday’s Quarter Final match (22 v 18 against Yorkshire).  This meant they would face East Midlands on Sunday afternoon in the 5^th/6^th place play off, claiming a great 23 v 14 victory.  Head Coach Niall Ritchie was pleased with the result, highlighting that the Scottish programme continues to ‘move forward’.

Under 19 Squad List

Name (Classification)	Region
David Beattie (2)	West
James Beattie (5)	West
Josh Manson (3.5)	East
Rory Geddes (4)	Grampian
Tom McCaffrey (2)	West
Logan Kidd (4)	West
Rhys Collier (1)	Tayside
Cameron Watson (4.5)	West
Ben Leitch (4.5)	Tayside
Adam Donnachie (3.5)	West
Jen Scally	Head Coach
Tina Gordon	Assistant Head Coach

 

Under 15 Squad List

Name (Classification)	Region
Ben Flanigan (3)	West
Charlie Redmond (2)	East
Daniel McLoughlin (2.5)	West
Sarah McCaffrey (5)	West
Finlay Erskine	East
Shayne McVicar	Tayside
Owen Leitch	Tayside
Jason Gillies	East
Ronnie Cassels	West
Blair Marshall	Tayside
Niall Ritchie	Head Coach
Connor Smart	Assistant Head Coach

 

Scotland’s rejuvenated Cerebral Palsy football squad face their latest challenge against English based club side CP United. This match will take place at Stenhousemuir’s Ochilview Stadium on Sunday the 9^th September with a 15.45 kick off.

The two sides met recently at the International Trophy CP Football Ciutat de Barcelona where the Scots emerged as 6-3 winners and finished the tournament in a very creditable 3^rd place.

There will be no entry charge to this match but donations to support the running costs of the squad will be welcomed at the gate.

Our sincere thanks go to the Scottish FA, NorDan UK Ltd, The Blue Eyes Sports Foundation, Arnold Clark and Fresh Interior Solutions for their generous support of the Scottish National Cerebral Palsy Football team.

The Scotland Team have arrived safe and well in Sant Cugat, Spain, for the CPISRA World Games 2018.

After a very early start and a smooth operation at Edinburgh Airport with fantastic assistance from the staff and crew of Ryanair, all athletes, coaches, support staff and luggage arrived intact at El Prat Airport in Barcelona.

A quick 20-minute bus journey transported Team Scotland to their hotels in Sant Cugat.

Although the team is split between two hotels, all athletes, coaches and support staff settled in to the accommodation comfortably. Everyone familiarised themselves with the surroundings and explored a little of the lovely Spanish town.

Team management ventured to the swimming and athletics venue, and the swimming and athletics coaches attended classification meetings.

Athletes, swimmers and boccia players rested before training sessions begin on the 7th of August.

The team are looking forward to the week ahead, with the Opening Ceremony taking place this evening at La Guinardera.

Early this morning 18 athletes and their coaches left Edinburgh Airport for Sant Cugat, Spain to compete as Team Scotland in the CPISRA World Games.  The athletes consist of three boccia players, four swimmers and 11 athletes.

The first couple of days the team will be training (and heat acclimatisation) with some also going through classification, with the competition starting on Thursday.

There is a mix of experience in the team with 10 members previously representing Scotland at the last World Games in Nottingham in 2015.  This was a very successful team in 2015 where lots of medals were achieved and numerous personal achievements accomplished.  There is great excitement surrounding the team and the fact that some have been previously is helping this vibe and is also keeping the new athletes’ nerves at bay.

Many of the athletes have family and friends travelling over to support which will be a great boost and comfort for them!

Good luck Team!

The BISFed 2018 World Boccia Championships will be streamed live as they take place at Exhibition Centre Liverpool from 12-18 August this year.

Audiences will be able to see their favourite Paralympic boccia stars in action through connected devices, TV, tablet and mobile on the BBC.

The main court will be live from Sunday 12 August from 09:00-19:00 BST to Saturday 18 August from 10:30-18:00 BST on the BBC Sport website, Sport app & connected TV.

Boccia UK Chair John Dowson says the decision is a huge boost to the sport: “It is fantastic news that the World Championships will be live streamed by the BBC. It is a huge opportunity for us to reach more people and showcase the sport of boccia. Hopefully it will inspire many watching on their TV or devices to play.”

Hopes are certainly riding high for the ten members of the British team ahead of the Championships. Leading the way are Paralympic gold medallist David Smith MBE and defending champion Stephen McGuire who has enjoyed a superb season.

BBC Sport has committed to providing technical and editorial support to sports to enable them to broadcast their events more widely and has offered to live stream all UK Sport-supported major events on its website and red button channels, where no competing commercial broadcaster is involved.

The new commitment comes after the BBC announced ambitious plans to reinvent free-to-air sports broadcasting, with its biggest increase of live sport coverage in a generation. Over a thousand extra hours of live sport could be available for audiences to watch online every year through BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer. The BBC is working closely with sports bodies across the UK with the aim of broadcasting coverage from more than 30 additional sports or sporting events every year.
The broadcasts will help to keep Olympic and Paralympic sports and their stars in the public eye between Games times, with more events such as World, European and National Championships likely to be shown.

The BISFed 2018 World Boccia Championships has been made possible thanks to UK Sport’s National Lottery funding through its Major Events Programme.

Tickets are on sale now and are available to buy online at: www.echoarena.com/worldboccia.