Disability Sport Wales
Chwaraeon Anabledd Cymru

The Disability Sport Wales Academy is sponsored by Ace Feet in Motion - Biomechanics/Sports Injury Clinic

In the build up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games and other major disability sport events the Federation for Disability Sport in Wales (FDSW) has paved the way for the latest crop of future Paralympic stars with the launch of a brand new Talent Academy designed to offer young athletes a direct pathway to the top of the performance ladder.

Chairman of FDSW, Gareth John and Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, Philip Carling, were joined by over fifty aspiring young athletes at the official launch which was be held at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff (Friday 20th October ’06).

Bridgend’s World Champion Paralympic Sailor and 2006 Winter Paralympic sledge hockey star Stephen Thomas, 29 was also on hand to relay his wealth of experience and top tips to the stars of the future.

Funded by the Sports Council for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government, the inception of the FDSW Talent Academy is to be a progressive stepping-stone towards developing the future of paralympic and disability sport in Wales.

The first training camp was based at the Stackpole Centre in Pembrokeshire during the weekend of 21 and 22 of October, the Academy – which is the first of its kind to be developed by an UK home country – has been designed to ensure that young Welsh athletes are provided with the essential starting blocks to progress in their sport, offering an invaluable pathway towards World Class programmes delivered by National Governing Bodies of sport.

Chairman of FDSW, Gareth John has great expectations for the future of the academy.

“The Academy will give the young athletes a taste of what is required of them as an elite performer, allowing them to adopt a sense of responsibility towards their chosen sport in an infrastructure geared towards sport and progression.”

The Stackpole Centre played host to the pan-disability multi-sport training camp aimed to provide FDSW with performance statistics of each young athlete ahead of major competitions.

The young athletes, ranging between 12 and 18-years-old have been selected from a wide spectrum of sports including athletics, swimming, tennis, powerlifting, rowing, wheelchair basketball and boccia.

The fledgling stars will be expected to complete a series of physical tests including specific coaching sessions and a programme of cross-sport tests delivered by GB and nominated Academy coaches, each appointed by FDSW.

It will service the talents of young athletes who have undergone a rigorous selection process in their sport, providing the necessary support services, including strength and conditioning, physiotherapy and sport-science backup that will enable them to graduate successfully to senior level in the future.