Tag: scotland

27/12/2024

Boccia 2024 Recap: A Year of Sport

By William Moncrieff, Communications Coordinator

What a year it has been for boccia across Scotland. Throughout the year, events, partnership working and sponsorships along with new playing opportunities and developing clubs have all played a factor in increasing the interest in this rising sport.

EVENTS

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) would like to thank all coaches, volunteers, officials and athletes for the role that they have played in the event schedule this year. It would not have been possible without their ongoing support.

SCOTTISH SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS

The national events calendar kicked off on March 20th, with the Scottish Schools Championship. The event went well and there was no drop in the number of entries from the inaugural championship (in 2023). It was a great day at The Peak, Stirling, with branches being able to showcase their talent and put forward the same representation as previous years.

Across the day there was some great boccia on display, with athletes keen to come up trumps in all classifications. Starting with athletes with an Assistive Device, gold went to Sophia Walsh, silver to Ellie MacLaren and bronze to Logan Millar. In the athletes with a Learning Disability classification, gold went to Eleanor Little, silver to Scott Chafey and bronze being won by Kate Burton. In the final classification, athletes with a Physical Disability, Layla McCloskey came out on top to take the gold medal, followed by Emma McManamon with silver and bronze going to James O’Brien.

SCOTTISH OPEN

Next up was the Scottish Open, which took place on the 5th October. It was a great championship with athletes from all over Scotland coming together to showcase their respective boccia abilities.

In the BC2, Perth and Kinross’s Alex Medley came out victorious, winning gold. Kayleigh Brown (nee Haggo) finished second and bronze was awarded to Lewis McConnell.

In the BC3, gold went to Paralympics GB’s Patrick Wilson and Meredith Greenwood. In second place and picking up the silver prize was the duo of Ross MacNeil and Stewart MacNeil.

In the BC4, gold went to Paralympic champion Stephen McGuire. Silver was won by Tyler McLelland with bronze going to Fiona Muirhead

The Open had a Development Draw which acted as a further opportunity to develop young talent across Scotland. The event also enabled up-and-coming athletes to experience a national tournament, which gave them valuable exposure.

In the Development Draw, the Physical Disability Competition gold went to James O’Brien, silver to Murrin Widley and bronze being won by Layla McCloskey.

In the Development Draw, Assistive Device Competition, gold went to Zac Cameron and Kevin Davidson, silver to Ellie McLaren and Lisa Mclaren, and finishing in bronze was Caoimhe Potter and Katie Macmillan.

SDS NATIONAL NON BISFED SCOTTISH OPEN

Next up was the SDS National Non BISFed Scottish Open. The event took place on October 26th, with athletes from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland competing.

Starting in the athletes who use an assistive device competition the Scotts had a strong Showing, with Ross & Stewart MacNeil winning gold with Becky and Fiona Tyler winning the silver.  The junior athletes with a physical disability winner was Oliver Hastings from England with silver going to Emma McManamon and bronze to James O’Brien.

Next up was the Senior athletes with a physical disability. The winner was Duncan McIntyre, silver was won by Connor Dixon.

The female Learning disability Champion was Sarah Digby, with silver going to Zoe Irving and bronze won by Casey Wilson. The event finished with the male learning disability competition. The champion being Hayden Keir, silver going to Jordan Shepherd and the bronze medal going to Jean Pierre Cossigny.

UK CHAMPIONSHIPS

On the 15th of November the UK Championships began. Taking place at the renowned facilities owned by Sportscotland at Largs, Inverclyde. It was a great championships with 39 players arriving on the west coast of Scotland in a bid to come out victorious. The day had 7 Scottish athletes. With Paralympic trio winning medals. Winning BC3 Gold was Patrick Wilson. Finishing on top in the BC4 and taking home Gold was Stephen McGuire. Kayleigh Brown had another strong compitition and finished Silver in the BC2.

BOCCIA DEVELOPMENT DAY

The Inaugural Invitational Boccia Development Day took place on the 30th of November. This day saw five of Scotland’s up and coming athletes being invited along to learn from two of Scotland’s most prolific boccia coaches from the national set up. The day served a purpose of getting young athletes and providing them with an opportunity to develop their skills and abilities, with a possibility that this will result in the athletes being able to continue along the national performance pathway.

PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS

The Paralympics took place from the 28th August to 5th September. Three Scots were selected to represent ParalympicsGB: Kayleigh Brown, Patrick (Paddy) Wilson and Stephen McGuire.

What a Paralympics this was, with Kayleigh Brown achieving her childhood dream and becoming the Paralympian she always wanted to be. Kayleigh put in a really strong showing throughout the group stages and was defeated in the Individual BC2 quarter finals, 8 – 2 by Gischa Zayana. In the BC1/2 team competition Kayleigh Brown was joined by Claire Taggart and David Smith. The team had a good run to take them through to the quarter finals. Despite being down early in the match the trio battled back to take the game down to a nail-biting finish where they were beaten by the BC1/2 Indonesian team in a 7 – 7 tie break.

Paddy Wilson qualified for the Paralympics through a bipartite slot. Paddy put in an impressive showing in the group stages to finish in second place. However, Paddy was defeated in the quarter finals despite a strong performance, going down 4 – 1 to Damien Iskrzycki.

It will be hard to forget about BC4 athlete, Stephen McGuire’s tournament. From qualifying through a bipartite slot, to being the first Scottish athlete to win a Paralympic medal in boccia. A dream he has waited 20 years to fulfill.

Stephen wasn’t the only McGuire making waves out in Paris with brother Peter commentating in the BC4 final, giving all the McGuires a moment to look back on with pride.

NATIONAL BOCCIA DAY

National Boccia day took place on 27th of September. The day saw each home nation pick their own theme to engage the boccia community. SDS chose to raise the topic of communities. Boccia plays a vital role in growing and connecting communities, from friendships to support networks. Throughout the day, SDS member branches, clubs, athletes, volunteers and officials all showed how the community of boccia has impacted them.

SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP

In 2024, Scottish boccia had a first by receiving financial support from Shepherd Chartered Surveyors. This was provided to support further boccia development throughout Scotland. The backing from Shepherd will help fund SDS’s ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for people of all abilities, to try and participate in boccia across the country.

Throughout 2024, SDS have continued to work with Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland. The organisation has worked hard to develop the sport of boccia within their network to ensure that more individuals can continue to gain the psychological and physiological benefits of boccia. Currently the organisation has got over 300 regular participants playing boccia in their bases, with 20 boccia sessions being delivered within their peer groups.

SDS made decent progress in 2024, in the education sector. Working alongside the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA), updates were made to the list of activities in which young people can assessed as part of their PE qualifications at National 3 through to Advanced Higher level in school.

This has resulted in school pupils throughout the 2024 -25 school year being able to have their performance assessed in Paralympic sports such as boccia, goalball and other wheelchair, powerchair and Parasport activities.

CLUBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

In 2024 Forth Vally Right on Target boccia club were made an associate member club of SDS. This was due to the club continuing to provide a service that is up to date with relevant legislations, policies and procedures. Furthermore, the club committed to continually meeting SDS’s minimum operating requirements.

Throughout 2024 SDS has received feedback from organisations, about the rising popularity of boccia. This can be seen by the work that Scottish Student Sport have put into developing a strong playing base; with boccia being their fifth most popular sport in 2024, with 181 sessions and over 2000 participants taking part across their associated Universities and Colleges.

The popularity, interest and demand for boccia has continued to grow throughout 2024. The 2023-2024 boccia audit showed that there is currently 39 opportunities to get involved in boccia. These opportunities are found within 18 local authorities across Scotland.

If you would be interested in finding out more about these opportunities, you can do so by reaching out to your Regional Development Manager. This manager will be able to provide you with information on local opportunities to get involved as a volunteer, coach, official or player.

Alternatively, you can contact SDS’s Boccia Development Officer, Jonathan Kennedy by email: jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com

Make sure to stay uptodate on all opportunities throughout Scotland, by following Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website.

18/12/2024

John Dambrosio Finalist for UK Coaching Awards

Hamilton Judo Club Inclusion are so proud that our Head of Coaching Development, John Dambrosio was nominated and chosen as a finalist of the UK Coaching Awards Change a Life category. This is quite a remarkable accolade and achievement as John was the only Judo Coach to make the finalists in all categories and was also the only Scots person in all categories.

Most pleasing is that the nomination came outwith Judo by South Lanarkshire Disability Sport in recognition of the great work this year that John and his team have completed through the Hamilton Judo Club Inclusion Development Programme for Disability / ASN and Social Care Groups which was featured early in JS Facebook.

30/11/2024

Gemma Lumsdaine on High Performance and Active Representation

By William Moncrieff, Communications Coordinator

For Gemma Lumsdaine performing at the highest level has always been a goal. That is what made it even more special when she got a phone call from her coach to let her know that she was going to be part of the Great Britain Women’s Wheelchair Rugby team.

“I was crying down the phone to the coach, just so much happiness about the whole thing and obviously pride as well. I’ve always wanted to represent Great Britain since I’ve been very young, it’s always been a goal of mine.”

Gemma found out that she would be representing Great Britain in wheelchair rugby at the Women’s Cup three weeks ago. This was the second time that she would be representing the home nations after she contributed to the team winning the same tournament last year, which will provide a further bit of pressure for the team. With the clock ticking down to the tournament kicking off in early December, Gemma has been hearing lots from family and friends.

“Yeah, everyone has been really excited around me, you know when you’re an athlete it’s not just you that is getting selected or goes through the highs and lows, it’s your family, your friends, your coaching team, we just experience everything together. I think they are just really excited for me to get out there and be with the women and retain our title from last year hopefully.” Gemma explained.

She is equally as excited and proud to be there and represent Scotland, saying: “It’s just me, I am the only Scot in the team, so I am flying the flag, everyone else is English so I am flying the flag for the Celts.”

With wheelchair rugby being a predominantly mixed gender sport there isn’t always the same opportunities to provide young disabled women with active representation. This is something that Gemma is really excited for.

“I’m also really passionate about getting women and girls into sport, especially disabled women and the intersectionality of it. I think it’s really important and special in many ways”, s said.

Having this representation is something that Gemma is really passionate about and something that she views as being paramount: “Of course it’s about you know, pushing yourself and achieving my goals, but it’s bigger than that, it’s about actually showing young disabled women who are struggling with their identity or not sure if they are sporty, not sure of what they can achieve with their disability, but showing they can.”

Over the coming years Gemma is keen to continue along the performance pathway. “Ultimately my goal is and has been to compete at the highest level, for example the Paralympics is the highest level, equally there is the Worlds and Europeans (championships), and that is a longer-term goal that I am setting my sights on.”

“It’s a long journey, these things don’t come over night, there are setbacks and highs and lows, it’s working towards being the best athlete I can be.”

If you have enjoyed hearing Gemma’s story and are keen to find out what sporting opportunities are available near to you, so you can start on your own journey in disability sport, contact your Regional Development Manager. SDS would like to wish Gemma the very best of luck in France.

29/11/2024

The Motability Scheme Making the Power of Sport and Boccia Possible

By William Moncrieff, Communications Coordinator

For Avril Starmore, moving to Shetland was a decision based on being closer to family. Then, she found boccia. She had no idea the impact boccia would have on her life.

Avril moved to Shetland from Dunfermline. This move wasn’t always plain sailing though, the lack of public transport and the rural nature of the island presented difficulties when trying to get out and into the community.

Avril was a Motability Scheme user, which proved to be an essential part when finding her love for boccia and the wider Shetland community.

“The car helps me get to boccia clubs, there is a ramp built in that I go up with my wheelchair then I can transfer onto the driver’s seat. If I didn’t have that I wouldn’t be able to get out.” Avril explained.

She went on to say, “If I didn’t have a Motability car there is no way I would get out into the community and clubs.”

Avril found out about boccia through Ability Shetland: “I came to Shetland three and a half years ago, I started going to a few of Ability Shetland’s clubs and I started volunteering with them just over a year ago.”

Now that Avril has been involved with boccia and dedicating her time to the sport she has decided to progress forward with her coaching.

“I’ve recently done the boccia leaders course and now I am learning to become a boccia coach”, she said.

This has led to Avril being a key member of the Ability Shetland delivery and volunteer team. “I’ve been going out to show boccia at various schools, day centres and clubs.”

Avril still uses many of Ability Shetland’s clubs. “I still go every Friday night to play, and then I go out through the week to deliver.”

Avril really enjoys being part of a team, but more so she loves getting to introduce people to the sport of boccia. “The way their faces light up when they manage to do something”, is her favorite thing about volunteering.

Making sessions fun and entertaining is something that Avril tries to always put at the forefront of her deliveries. “They keep thinking that I’m glueing the balls to the cones throughout the sessions, to challenge them to knock them off, they keep saying, ‘you’ve glued them on’, but I haven’t.” She joked.

Now Avril wants as many people to gain the benefits of boccia. “It’s about getting the word out about boccia. Up here a lot of people hadn’t heard about it until a short while ago, I know that I hadn’t heard of it until I moved here”, she said. This is a task she views as being possible.

“Last year we went to Dundee to play, there were loads of players and clubs down there it was great.”

This love and commitment that Avril has shown towards the sport of boccia throughout Shetland has led to her being nominated for an Eric Liddell Award. She went on to win the award for her dedication to the sport which has seen her deliver to over 100 school pupils in the last year alone. The enthusiasm she has for the sport is known to be contagious, and sure to be a contributing factor in many more people taking up the sport.

If you would be interested in finding out more about boccia you can contact SDS’s Boccia Development Manager at:

jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

If you would like to try volunteering, please contact your Regional Development Manager.

16/11/2024

Day 1 Review: UK Boccia Championships 2024

The Scots put on a good show on the opening day of the UK Boccia Championships

Day one of the UK Boccia Championships got off to a great start, with the Scottish contingency racking up several wins in the pool stages.

Here’s an overview of how the seven Scots got on –

BC2

Kayleigh Brown 1 – 3 v Luke Walsh, 6 – 5 v Jason Rolph, 6 – 1 v Tomas Martin.

Alex Medley 2 – 7 James Clowes, 11 – 1 v Sian Jones, 0 – 11 v Reshad Seraj

BC3

Patrick Wilson 8 – 4 v Mark Roderick, 3 –3 v Lee Croker (tiebreak).

BC4

Stephen McGuire 17 – 0 v Harrison Smith, 19 – 0 Lewis Crawford, 7 – 2 v Tyler McLelland.

Tyler McLelland 8 – 2 Lewis Crawford,10 – 1 v Harrison Smith.

Paul McIntyre 2 – 4 Louis Saunders, 10 – 0 Scott McIntyre.

Scott McIntyre 0 – 4 v Louis Saunders.

The competition will resume on Sunday 17th November, with play-off games followed by semifinals, finals A and B.

You can follow the action live on the SDS website via the live results page and livestream (available Sunday morning), as well as seeing behind-the-scenes content posted across the SDS social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and X).

Useful documents –

UK Boccia Championships 2024 Competition Guide

Saturday 16th November 2024 schedule.

Sunday 17th November 2024 schedule.

To view the Live Scoring document click here.

15/11/2024

Scotland Host UK Boccia Championships at Prestigious Inverclyde Venue

Scotland welcomes the best of British boccia for the UK Championships this weekend (16-17 November), at sportscotland’s national training centre in Inverclyde.

For Paralympic gold medallist, Stephen McGuire (BC4, Hamilton), it is the first time competing since his golden moment at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in the summer. The world number one will be looking to continue his winning ways on home soil.

“The UK Championships is the showcase event in our domestic calendar. I’m super excited to be competing, especially in Scotland”, said Stephen.

He continued to say: “It’s always great to see the development of athletes coming through to challenge us athletes on the World Class Programme. Last year’s UK Championships saw all Talent Transition Squad athletes reach the podium. This demonstrates excellent depth within the UK and we will all need to perform well to reach the podium once again.”

Fellow Paralympians Kayleigh Brown (nee Haggo, BC2, Ayrshire) and Patrick Wilson (BC3, Lothian) will also be in action on the courts, joined by Scots Tyler McLelland (BC4, Fife), Alex Medley (BC2, Perth and Kinross) and brothers Scott and Paul McIntyre (BC4, Forth Valley).

The Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd MSP, visited Inverclyde on Friday (15th) to offer her best wishes to Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) ahead of competition starting on Saturday morning, as well as fitting in a quick game of boccia with Stephen.

Stephen McGuire and Maree Todd playing a boccia game at Inverclyde — Maree Todd MSP enjoying a game of boccia with Paralympian Stephen McGuire

The Minister expressed her great admiration for the sport and highlighted the impact that boccia can have in communities across Scotland.

“Boccia is the most amazing sport. It’s really inclusive and accessible”, said Ms Todd.

“Boccia provides an opportunity for everyone. Everyone can join in with boccia, that’s part of the beauty. But for some of our people who have complex disabilities, there are real challenges getting involved in physical activities. So it [boccia] is a competitive sport that is open to everyone.”

The Minister also praised Inverclyde as being a premier accessible venue in the UK, that prides itself being the first UK residential sports centre of its kind – designed for inclusivity.

“It’s absolutely vital. Without accessible venues these competitions can’t happen. There’s no hassle in this venue and it is really welcoming to absolutely everyone who wants to play sport. And it shows with a little bit of thought and a little bit of planning, a little bit of work with the community, what can be achieved and I want more of that all over Scotland. All over the UK, so that all of our athletes can have the chance to compete”, said Maree Todd MSP.

Kayleigh Brown – who recently just got married to sports assistant Kevin – also returns to the court following her Paralympic debut in Paris:

“It’s been really busy since Paris – we got married, we’ve been on honeymoon and we have moved house – so I haven’t been able to train much but I’m really looking forward to this weekend. It’s always a great competition which brings the four nations together and gives me the opportunity to compete for Scotland. It’s brilliant to see a high number of entries and I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

Whilst the UK Championships is the first event of the 2028 Paralympic cycle, with some athletes’ sights set on LA 2028, the championships provides a fantastic opportunity for Scotland to showcase the best of boccia.

You can follow the action live on the SDS website via the live results page and livestream (link available soon), as well as seeing behind-the-scenes content posted across the SDS social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and X).

01/11/2024

Opportunity: Modern Apprentice with Judo Scotland

Judo Scotland has an exciting opportunity for a Modern Apprentice to join their team! This is part of their Supporting Disabled People into Employment in Sport programme, supported by Enable Scotland (Leading the Way).

Application pack is available here.

If you want to discuss this further, please contact Freda McInulty, Judo Scotland Business Support Manager, at FredaMcinulty@judoscotland.com.

24/10/2024

Fin Graham: On His Quest for Gold in Paris

By Lauren Cameron

For Fin Graham, 2024 will surely be a year to remember, following an outstanding performance in the Men’s C1-3 road race at the Paris Paralympics, earning him his first Paralympic gold medal.

A rising star in Para sport, Fin’s tremendous performance in both road and track cycling events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games captivated audiences around the world.

On September 7th, the Scot delivered a remarkable ride that saw him upgrade his Tokyo silver to gold, topping the men’s C1-3 road race podium and bringing Great Britain’s cycling medal tally to 22 on the final day of competition in Paris.

In the nail-biting final, the 24-year-old outsprinted host-nation favourites Thomas Peyroton-Dartet and Alexandre Leaute (FRA) for a maiden Paralympic title, crossing the finish line with an impressive time of 1:43:19. Despite being outnumbered, his well-timed sprint in the final kilometer of the 71km route secured his place at the top of the podium.

Having already secured two world titles and earned a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, this year’s gold win marks a pivotal moment in the athlete’s career, adding to his already impressive résumé.

Describing the win, the Highland athlete said: “It is the pinnacle of our sport… Paralympic gold, nothing compares to it. That’s what we work towards every four years, to be able to come away with that is amazing.”

The Scottish-born C3 athlete says he has always known what he wanted to do and has dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist since his school years.

“I think I’ve always had that drive. When I know what I want to do I’m able to kind of set my mind to it.”

“To have it all pay off, it’s something else.”

Born with bilateral clubfoot, he has never let his condition limit his success. His passion for Para cycling has been a driving force throughout his journey to success as a Paralympian. Through remarkable strength and unfaltering determination, he has built an impressive career and become a role model for aspiring Para athletes. Fin’s success at this years Games in Paris is a testament to his exceptional skill, dedication and resilience.

Returning to his home in Strathpeffer, the Highland athlete has brought with him two medals; a silver for the 3000m individual pursuit and gold for the men’s road race.

Reflecting on this year’s sporting success in Paris, he said: “Any medal at a Paralympics is an amazing achievement but you’re constantly driving for that gold medal, so to come away in the last event with the gold medal, it means so much.”

“It’s so special to cross a line with your hands in the air and celebrate with the team afterwards.”

Earlier in the Games, the Scot also took home a silver after facing off against ParalympicsGB teammate, Jaco van Gass, in the men’s C3 3000m individual pursuit, finishing four seconds off the golden time.

Despite successfuly breaking the world record for the individual pursuit earlier in the heats with a time of 3:17:14, defending champion Van Gass regained his world record just mintues later in the following heat.

While th Paris 2024 Paralympics has come to a close, it seems that Fin Graham’s gold medal victory is only the beginning of an already impressive career. With his sights set on future competitions, he shows no signs of slowing down.

The Scottish athlete leaves Paris as a true champion, embodying the spirit of the Paralympics and empowering athletes and fans around the world.

Make to follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website.

19/10/2024

YPSP member, Aidan Moody, Adds to Tennis Medal Collection

By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice

Last month Aidan Moody, a current member of Scottish Disability Sport’s Young Persons’ Sports Panel, found himself competing in a tennis tournament in Annecy, France.

“The tournament was really good. It was the VISTUS World Tennis Championships. Loads of different countries were there and I was there representing Great Britain.” Sai Aidan, who was competing in both the singles and doubles with his partner Olly.

“I had four other players in my singles group. A French person who was number 4 in the world and an Australian who was a former world number 1, so I knew the group was going to be really tough”, said Aidan.

Although he knew it was going to be a challenge to make it out of his group, he was motivated to cause an upset. He came ever so close to achieving this when he took on the French player and narrowly lost, 6-4. Despite the loss, it was a performance that he was extremely proud of

He put up a good fight throughout the tournament, to finish in 9th place overall. He said, “After losing to the two seeds in my group, I went on to win all my other singles matches, making it to the consolation 9/10 play off final, winning 6-3 against Australia.”

“I think it was an achievement to get into the top 10, and I am happy with how I played.”

In the double’s tournament, the pair clawed back to take the win against the home favourites, winning 6-2. Their winning momentum continued and they quickly found themselves in the semifinals. Although Aidan and Olly were unable to secure a spot in the final, they were successful in sealing bronze.

“Managing to get a bronze was really good, we were both really happy with that”, said Aidan.

With his tournament following the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Aidan was really motivated to play well. “I was supporting Gordon Reid who is also Scottish and was competing in Paris. It was really exciting and motivating.”

He continued to say: “Learning Disability Tennis isn’t currently at the Paralympics but they are having talks to get it there. Fingers crossed that one day I can make it there which would be really cool.”

Now that the dust has settled on the Championships in Annecy, Aidan can reflect on his overall performance.

“We kept playing really well [in the doubles]. The communication was really good and I think we are just a really good partnership to be fair.”

“We also competed in January at the Australian Open. We partnered there and were the runner ups and then we got bronze in France. It’s been a really good partnership so far, so I would definitely like to keep it going.”

Aidan Moody standing on the tennis court in Australia, holding his trophy after winning the tournament — Aidan Moody standing on court holding his trophy at the Australian Open, earlier this year

Aidan is now really excited for his next steps in the game. “I’ve got more experience now and it’s made me hungry to keep on going, working hard and just keep coming back with a positive mindset.”

The future is looking very bright. All the best of luck, Aidan!

Make to follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website.

18/10/2024

Martin Perry Eyes Up LA 2028 After Paris Paralympics

“I definitely enjoyed my experience and I can’t wait to relive it in four years’ time in LA.” – Martin Perry reflects on his debut Paralympics performance.

By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice

Martin Perry was part of the ParalympicsGB squad for the 2024 edition of the Summer Games in Paris. Martin qualified for the table tennis squad where he competed in both singles and doubles, partnering up with Will Bayley.

“From start to finish, Paris was just an unbelievable experience, I couldn’t believe how well catered everything was”, said Martin.

The Paralympics kicked off for Martin with the doubles round of 16. “My doubles partner Will Bayley and I had a great win against Germany winning 3-0”, explained Martin.

Next up was the quarter finals where Martin and Will found themselves up against the French, who went into the match as second seed. “We found ourselves 2-0 down. We had an incredible rally where I jumped off the court. That was the catalyst that got us back into the match… we managed to get it back to 2-2.”

He continued to recap the match: “We went down to the wire at 9-9 in the final set, and France just happened to pip us to the post and win 11 – 9. That was really tough and it was heartbreaking”, he recounted. Losing the game was the end of their doubles campaign in Paris. However, Martin still had the opportunity to compete in the singles.

His first match was against the reigning champion in his category (Class 6). “It was never going to be an easy match”, said Martin. “Just the way the system works, we actually hadn’t played each other in the last five years, so it wasn’t as if we’d had loads of opportunities to work each other out. He got the better of me, I never really got going until the third set and by then it was too little too late.”

As much as it hurts it has definitely given me a platform to learn from and to hopefully take forward”, commented Martin.

Being able to represent ParalympicsGB was a career highlight for Martin and the team dynamics certainly didn’t disappoint.

“As the competition was just about to start they put stickers up on the outside wall (of the team house.), really cool graphics which were actually the ParalympicsGB medal tally and they updated it every single day. It was so cool to see those numbers rising and rising.”

Whether someone had a good or bad day, you were always there to offer a helping hand or say well done and that was just amazing to be amongst that and be part of one team”, explained Martin.

With the Games being held in Paris there was a fantastic opportunity for fans to travel over. “Wow, the support I had was unmatched, it was amazing. This is the closest I am ever going to have to a home Paralympic Games.”

He continued to say, “To have my wife, Siobhan, and daughter, Byra, both there and to have my in-laws Andy and Jacqueline, my own dad and then half of Drumchapel Table Tennis club from Glasgow come out. The support I had, it was just incredible and that means so much to me because they are the folks that have been in my life a long time, they mean the most to me.”

The fact that they got to see me do what I love doing, on the biggest stage in the world just meant so much.” Martin said.

Despite the Paralympics just concluded only one month ago, Martin already has his sights set on the next edition. “I definitely enjoyed my experience, and I can’t wait to relive it in four years’ time in LA (Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games).”

Martin said: “I thought I was hungry for Paris, but wow, LA is going to be awesome and I am so motivated to go again and to be a two-time Paralympian.”

If you are motivated to get involved in sport after hearing all about Martin’s experience in Paris, contact your Regional Development Manager to find out about any opportunities in your area.

Make to follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website.