British Curling announced last week their biggest ever cohort of Para athletes to be selected for the World Class Programme 2024-2025 season, and nine Scots made the cut.
The 12 strong squad includes five Scottish Paralympians: Hugh Nibloe, Gregor Ewan, Robert McPherson, Gary Smith and Meggan Dawson Farrell, alongside Jo (Joanna) Butterfield, Gary Logan, Charlotte McKenna and Martin Sutherland as World Championship representatives. England’s Stewart Pimblett completes the set of the experienced athletes.
Newcomers to that squad are England’s Mixed Doubles world champs Karen Aspey and Julian Mattison, who have moved up from Paralympic Performance Foundation (PPF) level.
Three more of last season’s PPF squad join the Programme: Scotland’s Keith Gray and England’s George Potts and Jason Kean have graduated to national level support, a group that is completed by a third English player Jean Guild.
“Congratulations to all of those who have been selected to the world class programme this season after a rigorous selection process,” said British Curling Paralympic Head Coach Sheila Swan.
“This is the largest squad we have recruited to the Paralympic programme and consists of many familiar faces and experienced athletes along with lots of fresh blood, demonstrating how effectively our Paralympic pathway is now working, enhanced by our recruitment campaigns north and south of the border, with more English athletes on board than ever before.
“International wheelchair curling has never been so competitive, which is being felt ever more keenly with just two years to go to Mila Cortina in 2026 with two medal opportunities available from the team and mixed doubles disciplines in the Paralympic programme for the first time.
“We believe having a large squad will not only boost our chances in 2026 and beyond, we also know it will help everyone at different stages of the pathway to develop well in order to win well when it counts in 2026.”
Selected athletes for 2024/25 – Paralympic Squad:
Charlotte McKenna
Gary Logan
Gary Smith
Gregor Ewan
Hugh Nibloe
Joanna Butterfield
Julian Mattison
Karen Aspey
Martin Sutherland
Meggan Dawson-Farrell
Robert McPherson
Stewart Pimblett
Charlotte McKenna