Paralympians, national sporting organisations and senior City figures gathered in the Square Mile last night to celebrate the success of the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games – the most successful in ParalympicsGB’s history.
The City of London Corporation-hosted event also recognised the work of Disability Snowsport UK (DSUK), which for over 40 years has been providing adaptive snowsport opportunities for people of all ages living with disability in the UK. DSUK has also supported the development of grassroots adaptive snowsports, right through to elite competition.
The 2018 Paralympic Winter Games held in PyeongChang, South Korea, were the most successful in ParalympicsGB’s history, with a medal haul of one Gold, four Silver and two Bronze medals. Great Britain finished 13th in the medal table.
Last night’s event was attended by a host of big names from the sporting world, the charity’s patron Pippa Middleton and senior City figures, including: winter Paralympians Menna Fitzpatrick and Millie Knight, representatives from DSUK, sponsors and partners of ParalympicsGB, representatives from sporting organisations and bodies such as UK Sport, Sport England, the British Paralympic Association and the International Paralympic Committee, Government, MPs and City Corporation elected members.
Catherine McGuinness, Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, commented:
“The achievements of these athletes are outstanding and inspirational. They are accomplishments that should also be recognised by acknowledging the great work of Disability Snowsport UK over the last 40 years.
“The charity has really driven forward snowsports amongst disabled people in the UK. They are making a real impact by expanding participation at the grassroots level and indeed on the UK’s major achievements on the global stage.”
Fiona Young OBE, CEO of Disability Snowsport UK, added:
“Disability Snowsport UK are enormously proud of all our athletes and their incredible achievements, making history and delivering our largest number of medals ever.
“We are also extremely proud of creating and facilitating a successful performance pathway which has resulted in making sporting history at two successive winter Paralympics. We work to promote equality and opportunity for all people with disabilities to take part in snowsports and to help improve their enjoyment and standard of performance at the level of their choice.”
Pippa Middleton, Patron of DSUK, said:
“The work of DSUK changes and enhances people’s lives, and I am not simply referring to the disabled community. Those, like me, who get involved as volunteers get every bit as much enjoyment and satisfaction from participating in the charity’s work. It is truly wonderful, and I am honoured to be Patron of DSUK.”
DSUK is the UK national governing body for disabled snow sports. Its main aims are to provide access to snow sports for disabled people across the UK. This is achieved through a number of activities such as the delivery of adaptable lessons, residential activity weeks throughout Europe and the USA, and the training of instructors and volunteer helpers.
