Government Ministers and UK Sport have congratulated Paralympics GB on hitting its medal target at the Winter Games in PyeongChang.
The team were set a target of at least seven medals by the strategic funding agency, based on performance targets agreed between UK Sport and each of the funded sports, and have hit it on the final day of competition in South Korea. It means the Paralympics GB athletes have won their biggest winter medal haul since 1984 and since National Lottery funding was introduced in the 1990s.
The seventh medal came as British athletes Menna Fitzpatrick and Millie Knight along with their guides Jen Kehoe and Brett Wild won their fourth and third medals respectively with Gold and Bronze in the Women’s Visually Impaired Skiing Slalom event on Sunday. And in a further sign of Britain’s increased competiveness in winter sports, Paralympics GB also recorded more top 8 finishes in PyeongChang across all sports than they did in Sochi 2014.
Minster for Sport and Civil Society Tracey Crouch MP said:
"The performance of our athletes has been truly inspirational and I want to congratulate all at Paralympics GB on reaching the medal target. British winter sport has hit new heights in PyeongChang, backed by investment from the government and National Lottery. The team made the country proud, with the nation glued to coverage thanks to the continued support from Channel 4, and I look forward to welcoming them home this week."
Work and Pensions Minister Baroness Buscombe said:
“I want to congratulate our fantastic Paralympics GB athletes for hitting the UK Sport medal target. The UK is a world leader on disability issues, and I’m proud to have been in PyeongChang to see our athletes compete and fly the flag for Great Britain. Sport is a fantastic way to bring people from all walks of life together and showcase disabled people's phenomenal abilities and achievements. I’m sure this year’s Winter Paralympics will help us to improve wider perceptions of disabilities to viewers at home and across the globe.”
UK Sport Chief Executive Liz Nicholl said:
“We have seen again this week how the Paralympic Games focuses attention on what it is possible to achieve with a disability. National Lottery funding has transformed our ability to support athletes and enable them compete and succeed on a world level and inspire the nation through winter sports. Our best Winter Paralympics Games for 34 years also follows our best ever Winter Olympic Games earlier this year. Winter sports are becoming ever more accessible with the rise in snowdomes and dry slopes, and it is great news that we have been able to provide more medal moments that can help encourage anyone to overcome any obstacle and achieve their dreams in any field.”
Paralympics GB Chef de Mission Penny Briscoe OBE said:
“We wanted this to be a Games of consolidation after the success of Sochi 2014 and through the performances of our team this week we have proved that we are a force to be reckoned with in Winter Para sport.
“We have incredible talent with some amazing support behind the scenes from the coaches and the science and medicine team to help make this happen. We came into these Games with clear potential on snow and ice, but as Chef de Mission I’m proud of every one of the 17 athletes in this Paralympics GB team. Even away from the medals, there have been some stunning performances and personal bests. We have new sports and new athletes on the team, so we want to continue to evolve as a winter sport nation and to push things forward.”
UK Sport Director of Performance Chelsea Warr said:
“Congratulations go to the whole team in PyeongChang and all those who have supported them at home. Performances in the theatre of jeopardy that is winter sport have been utterly inspiring and are a credit to the athletes themselves, their support staff and guides, the British Paralympic Association, the national governing bodies and home country sports councils and institutes who all provide invaluable help behind the scenes to make so many medal-winning performances possible. We are always looking for talented athletes for all para sports and anyone who thinks they have got what it takes can register their interest now in our #DiscoverYourGold campaign.”