As the London 2012 Paralympics get underway today, Sport Wales announces a timely boost in investment for Disability Sport Wales (DSW).
An extra £20,000 a year has been secured for the national governing body responsible for making Welsh disability sport the envy of the world, which pushes the annual total investment from Sport Wales well beyond the £1million barrier.
The additional funding will top up Disability Sport Wales’ already considerable investment in coaching programmes to ensure that future world class Paralympians from Wales can be identified and nurtured to the top of their sports.
Sport Wales Chair, Professor Laura McAllister said: "I am extremely pleased to announce this funding increase today of all days. We are all poised for another two weeks of enthralling sport in support of our 38 world class Paralympic athletes from Wales.
"Our small nation is a Paralympic powerhouse make no mistake and Disability Sport Wales have been the driving force behind the seismic shift in the profile and successes of disability sport in this country.
"That’s not just in elite terms either, although our well documented medal successes at major events continue to be exceptional, but also in terms of creating more than one million grassroots opportunities for disability sport across Wales in just over ten years.
"We have said on many occasions that part of our unashamedly ambitious approach is to invest wisely in the areas, and partners, that can return the greatest outcomes. Disability Sport Wales are extremely good value for money and we look forward to working closely with them for many more years to come.
"Everyone at Sport Wales would like to wish our Paralympic athletes – as well as their superb coaches and support staff – from Wales all the very best at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
"We hope that the rich vein of success that we enjoyed at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 will continue here in London and that the tremendous home support can inspire our athletes to perform to their very best."
Disability Sport Wales Executive Director, Jon Morgan said: "We are working with Sport Wales to ensure a strategic approach to our investment. We really welcome this announcement and will be channelling those funds to the area that makes the biggest difference for us – our people.
"Coaches are our single biggest assets here in Wales. We are extremely lucky to have world class, highly experienced, winning coaches such as Billy Pye (swimming), Peter Pearse (Boccia) and Anthony Hughes (DSW National Performance Manager) – all of whom are former Sport Wales Coach of the Year winners - amongst our ranks.
"It is because of their talent and hard work that our athletes have flourished enough to be selected for ParalympicsGB at London 2012. We are investing heavily in the future now to ensure that we are finding the future Anthony Hughes’ of this world, who can maintain the significant momentum that we have made in developing disability sport in Wales."
A host of Paralympic defending champions, world champions and world record holders from Wales will be representing ParalympicsGB in London. They include Nathan Stephens (F57 javelin world champion), Liz Johnson (Beijing gold in SB6 100m breaststroke) and Nyree Kindred (three Paralympic Games - nine medals - two gold, four silver, three bronze).
Anthony Hughes, Disability Sport Wales’ Performance Manager, has had a major role in identifying many of the athletes and bringing them through the renowned DSW Academy.
He said: "Our Welsh athletes bring a fascinating mix of experience and youth to the ParalympicsGB Team and we have high hopes for their success at the Games. I am certain that as the Games close we will have good reason to smile and feel extremely proud of what the athletes will have achieved."
Sport Wales’ Elite Sport Strategy (2012-16), developed with Disability Sport Wales, has set Welsh athletes targets to win a total of thirty Paralympic medals across the 2012 and 2016 Games, with a stretch target of forty Paralympic medals.
And at the Beijing Paralympics, within a total of 1,431 medals, the fourteen won by Wales (ten golds, three silvers and one bronze) would have put Wales at the top of the medal table on the basis of population.
In 2008 it was Simon Richardson (cycling) who won the first race contested in the Paralympic Games, starting the gold rush for Great Britain. Wales is hoping that in London 2012, and beyond, it will be Welsh athletes who continue to lead the charge for the podium.
