Connect, collaborate and change: Para performance sport community launches new strategic framework

The Para performance sport community has come together to create a strategic framework to support Paralympic performance ambitions for the next 10 years.

The overall aim is to connect the Para sport community around a shared vision for the future – world-leading Para performance sport that enables athletes to thrive, excel and win – and drive greater collaboration, leading to real and lasting change.

Driven by UK Sport, the framework was constructed using the input of more than 60 members of the high-performance community – including representatives from sports, athletes and stakeholders.

Great Britain has enjoyed an era of stunning success in Para sport, with ParalympicsGB finishing in the top three in the medal table at every Summer Paralympics since the turn of the Millennium.

Continuing that success is essential to our medal winning ambitions and because it provides a powerful platform to support the Para movement’s drive for greater disability visibility, inclusion and accessibility.

However, the Para sport landscape is changing. We are facing, economic and social challenges and global Para sport standards are rising. If British athletes are to continue to excel, it will be vital that our performance environments meet the unique needs of Para athletes.

Dr Kate Baker, Director of Performance at UK Sport said: “We are excited by the vision outlined in the strategic framework and believe it will lead to a decade of continued success at the highest levels in Para sport where Para athletes are able to thrive.

“Nobody should underestimate the size of the challenge facing our athletes and their coaches and support staff as they work to maintain our status as a world-leading Para sport nation.

“However, we firmly believe that if the high-performance community get behind this framework, it will ensure that Para sport functions effectively and collaboratively at all levels. This in turn will enable the high-performance system to support our athletes in the best way possible, while creating opportunities and environments for the stars of the future.”

The new framework closely aligns to UK Sport’s 10-year strategic plan, which aims to deliver a broader range of champions and medallists and a more diverse and inclusive team.