3 October 2024
Discover your Paralympic Potential: How to become a Paralympian
The Paralympic Potential programme is the first step in finding out what your future Paralympic sport could be.
Do you have a visual, physical or intellectual impairment? Have you ever dreamt of competing in a Paralympic sport? If you want to find a competitive pathway and unlock the opportunities that sport offers, let us help you #BeTheFuture!
We run two types of Paralympic Potential activity: Discover Your Paralympic Potential and Explore Your Paralympic Potential.
Sign up below to hear more about future events and talent identification.
Discover your Paralympic Potential
Discover Your Paralympic Potential
These are mass participation events where we try and match sports with participants and participants with sports. These events are run in collaboration with each sport’s National Governing Bodies and National Disability Sport Organisations and give you the chance to:
- Experience Paralympic sports
- Meet Paralympic medallists
- Find out about Paralympic classification
- Take part in basic performance profiling
- Speak to experienced coaches and talent leads
Explore Your Paralympic Potential
Targeted talent identification and recruitment initiatives delivered by National Governing Bodies in partnership with ParalympicsGB. Participants will be invited based on sport, age, performance and classification criteria. These events are designed to identify performance potential, and where appropriate, will link directly to performance pathways or other relevant opportunities.
About Us
Ben Quilter
Athlete Recruitment Network Manager
I am proud to have represented ParalympicsGB at two Paralympic Games, having been a VI Judoka for 15 years or so, winning two World titles, one European title and a bronze medal at London 2012. Not only this but I have always enjoyed being an advocate and a supporter of many ParalympicsGB schemes and programmes. I was a member of the Athlete Commission and Social Impact Committee, and an athlete ambassador for the Paralympic Inspiration Programme (PIP) in Rio.
I worked in Performance Lifestyle for Cycling, Para Cycling, Para Swimming, Triathlon, Para Tri and Para Canoe. I have sat on the Board of Directors for British Judo since 2021 and stepped into the role of Athlete Recruitment Network Manager at ParalympicsGB in May 2023.
Bryony Robins
Athlete Recruitment Network Officer
Whilst Ben was winning a medal at London 2012, I was there as a teenage spectator, being incredibly inspired and excited by the experience. I was determined to have a career in this sector. I started by coaching disabled and non-disabled people trampolining and multi-sports before going off to university to first study a BSc in Sport Management, and then a MSc in Sport Management, Politics and International Development, and then a MA in Sport Ethics and Integrity. Whilst studying, I was the Operations Manager for Nike Sport Summer Camps and interned with the World Athletics Integrity Unit. I graduated in September 2023 and started working with ParalympicsGB as Athlete Recruitment Network Officer in October 2023!
Upcoming events
Watch this space for upcoming events and sign up to hear more about future events and talent identification.
Strategy and Guiding Principles
We deliver events for any disabled person to attend an event and discover what sport can offer. Collaboratively designed and delivered with partner organisations to offer a glimpse into disability sport from grassroots through to performance pathways.
How we achieve this
We deliver events for any disabled person to attend an event and discover what sport can offer. Collaboratively designed and delivered with partner organisations to offer a glimpse into disability sport from grassroots through to performance pathways.
How we achieve this
- Person centred - The Athlete Recruitment Network endeavours to put the individuals we engage with at the centre of the process.
- Collaborative excellence - Our collective strength enables holistic support, appropriate opportunity, and a commitment to excellence at each stage of the Paralympic Potential pathway.
- Pride, empowerment and belonging - These winning behaviours are a core part of ParalympicsGB team culture that we embody when interacting with any person or organisation.
- Embracing the Paralympic Movement - To ensure that, through sport we are inspiring a better world for disabled people.
- Be the future - To support disabled people to discover and explore sporting opportunities. Enabling the development and classification of future GB Paralympians where appropriate.
Useful links
If you have any questions, please email paralympicpotential@paralympics.org.uk or call us on 020 4591 3569.
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