Former Northern Irish Paralympian proud to be part of ParalympicsGB Athlete Community

Northern Irish athlete, Kelly Gallagher, who won Great Britain’sfirst ever gold medal at a Paralympic Winter Games and is chair of the Athlete Advisory committee, was invited to ParalympicsGB HQ for the launch of the new Athlete Community, she said: “The Athlete Community to me is an amazing opportunity to be able to connect with not just all of the athletes that I know from winter sports, but also those that I do and don’t know from summer sports across the generations.

“Having retired, I’ve kind of left sport and left that all behind me so it’s a really nice opportunity for me to be able to still remain in sport and remain identified as an athlete”.

“It makes me pretty proud to be able to look back and see what I have done, what I have contributed but then also how much other people have done in their own journeys and pathways”.

The call has been put out to help find everyone that has ever competed for Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the Paralympic Games whether it was London 2012 or Rome 1960 and put them forward to claim their place in history.

As the upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympic Games approaches, this moment in history marks a significant change for Paralympic sport in the UK as every athlete that represents Great Britain and Northern Ireland participating this summer will be included into the community of Paralympians.

The ParalympicsGB Athlete Community opens the door for Paralympians of all ages to come together with old friends and ex-teammates as sporting legends to reconnect and build strong connections for life. Members will also act as champions to promote participation in disability sport.

The community will provide unique benefits for all athletes which include reunion events, recognition, and for social connection to share experiences with both active and previous athletes.

If you, or someone you know, has previously competed for Great Britain & Northern Ireland at a Paralympic Games, you can help celebrate these extraordinary achievements by getting in touch with ParalympicsGB. We want to hear from family members of deceased Paralympians to ensure that they are also recognised in our history.

Visit www.paralympics.org.uk/athlete-community to find out more.