This evening the opening ceremony of the 2024 edition of the Paralympic games will be held in Paris. People from across the Northern Sound region will be cheering on Ireland's Paralympians, particularly local athletes such as Britney Arendse. David Cahill is a disability advocate from Ballyjamesduff. Mr Cahill has called on those involved in coaching local and national athletes to do "all they can" to make sure they reach and exceed their full potential. According to David, there are still visible gaps when it comes to the level of training and funding that goes into an athlete with a disability compared to those who don't - even at a local level. Speaking to Northern Sound, David says there are a number of changes which could be made in order to make sport more accessible and inclusive for everyone.
"Much like the Special Olympics and Olympics above I am calling on those involved in coaching our athletes to do all they can to make sure our athletes reach and exceed their full potential," explained David. "I am particularly looking at the experience of Rhasidat Adeleke one of our Paris 2024 Olympic athletes. I believe Rhasidat was in receipt of a Sporting Scholarship from the University of Texas. I firmly believe that her move to turn professional happened not just because of her stellar career up to the point where she obtained a Sporting Scholarship but because of the contacts she made while completing in the NCAA Championships since she obtained the Sporting Scholarship. It is a pathway that many of our Olympic, Paralympic and Special Olympic athletes could follow in Rhasidat's footsteps. That pathway is to obtain Sporting Scholarships. In order to make this happen we would need the political will locally and nationally, the assistance of University and Institute Boards of Management and partners in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere to agree Memorandums of Understanding to facilitate this progress."
