Grey-Thompson reflects on 30 years of the British Paralympic Association

Few people are better placed than Tanni Grey-Thompson to reflect on the achievements of the British Paralympic Association as it celebrates its 30th anniversary

The British sporting icon competed at her first Paralympic Games in Seoul 1988 – one year prior to the formation of the BPA.

Four years later - with the organisation still in its infancy - Grey-Thompson produced some of the most memorable performances in British Paralympic history as she claimed four gold medals at Barcelona 1992.

The wheelchair racer competed at her last Paralympic Games at Athens 2004 but remains a leading figure in the British Para sport landscape.

And she believes that the BPA has helped make the British team the envy of the world when the Paralympic Games come around.

“It’s been amazing. You look at when it first started and I think it was the right thing to do to bring the different groups together and have one point of contact at an organisation that could campaign for change,” she said.

“It was one voice about the Paralympic movement in the UK and you look at the BPA from where it started to where it is now, it’s been a huge change.

“The difference between the Olympic and Paralympic sides is celebrated and I think that’s the role the BPA can excel at.

“It’s about having constant conversations and discussions with athletes which has happened as the organisation has matured.

“Putting athletes at heart of what the BPA does is brilliant and that’s definitely what I see from the organisation.

“It’s moved on significantly from its birth and there’s no doubt that the British team is the envy of the world, absolutely the envy of the world and has been for a long time and that’s something the BPA should be very proud of.”

While Grey-Thompson was arguably the most recognisable face of British Para sport throughout her career she is enthused that now a new generation have emerged since London 2012 that have become household names.

“In 2009 I took part in a big piece of research which was around can you name a Paralympian,” she added.

“And I got massively high recognition but no one else did and people thought I’d be really proud of that.

“But I wasn’t, that was really sad that after all the years doing stuff, we didn’t have 30 Paralympians who were well known or more.

“If that research was ever done again the public would definitely have a bigger list of people and that was a big part of the work around 2012 and part of the work the BPA continues to do.”