Hogan Lovells awards nine Para athletes 2023 Nicholas Cheffings Para Athlete Bursary

Hogan Lovells, the British Paralympic Association’s official legal services provider, has awarded nine Para athletes the Nicholas Cheffings Para Athlete Bursary for 2023. Now in its sixth year, the bursary will provide financial support to athletes aspiring to be selected for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

The selected athletes have each been awarded one-off bursaries of £1,500 to help them with any aspect of their career development. This might include purchasing and replacing vital equipment, paying for travel to training camps and competitions, additional coaching and training support services.

The 2023 recipients are:

· Aaron McKibbin, Para table tennis

· Beth Munro, Para taekwondo

· Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker, Para athletics

· Felicity Pickard, Para table tennis

· Hope Gordon, Para canoe

· Jude Hamer, Wheelchair basketball

· Olivia Breen, Para athletics

· Rebecca Bedford, Para powerlifting

· Samantha Kinghorn, Para athletics

2023 bursary recipient Aaron McKibbin was delighted with the news that he was to receive the support. He said: “Not only the financial support but to represent and be linked with a brand like Hogan Lovells will be a huge honour”.

2022 bursary recipient Emma Wiggs added: “The support of Hogan Lovells is absolutely crucial to those of us that are working at this competitive level. I’m so grateful to Hogan Lovells, not only for the bursary but for their positive impact and commitment to changing peoples’ perception of disability across the world.”

In addition to supporting the bursary recipients, the firm is a Gold Partner and the Official Legal Services Provider to the BPA through to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, providing continued legal support to the organisation across all areas. In 2020 this included critical support on the impact of COVID-19 and the rescheduling of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, followed by critical commercial support in the lead up to, and during, the rescheduled Games in 2021.

UK Office Managing Partner, Penny Angell, said: “We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the BPA since before the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, supporting them for over a decade with legal advice, secondments, in-Games legal support and volunteers. We are incredibly proud and privileged to be able to help the next cohort of Paralympians and aspiring Paralympians reach their potential and we hope to see them representing ParalympicsGB in the future.”

For more information on the 2023 recipients click here.