Stoke Mandeville Stadium welcomes 250 Junior athletes

250 disabled children, aged 11-18 will be competed in the WheelPower National Junior Games at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in September.

The birthplace of the Paralympics is set to host the WheelPower National Junior Games - a showcase of disability sporting talent. The Games are organised by WheelPower, the governing body for Wheelchair Sport.

The National Junior Games are the highlight of the junior disability sporting calendar and welcome children of all abilities. The Games ran from the 21st to 24th September and were designed to introduce children of all ages and types of disability to the opportunities that sport can provide, from promoting a healthy lifestyle to improving social interaction.

Competitors ‘have-a-go’ and compete in a wide range of sports including archery, badminton, boccia, bowls, fencing, handcycling, powerlifting, shooting, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby.

Martin McElhatton, Chief Executive, WheelPower said: “Participation in sport helps boost confidence and self-esteem as well as improving the health and physical development of these young athletes. Participating in these events means a lot to the children that take part, many of whom will go on to represent Britain in the future.”

This years National Junior Games were supported by The Lord’s Taverners and Boost Charitable Trust and a number of other charitable Trusts.

Kevan Baker, Chairman, WheelPower added: “We are most appreciative of the tremendous support received from The Lord’s Taverners, the Boost Charitable Trust and Barr Soft Drinks. We’d also like to thank the Harold & Daphne Cooper Charitable Trust, Miss WE Lawrence 1973 Charitable Settlement, Josephs Family Trust, Wavell Wakefield & Middlesex Sports Foundation and the Felicity Wilde Charitable Trust for their support”.

Photograph by © Graham Bool Photography