Great Britain team take Team Silver at European Cross Country Championships
25 February 2015

Sprinting their way to the finish line, the UKSA GB Team earned Team silver at the 7th Inas European Cross Country Championships this weekend.

The six GB Team runners put up a tough battle, succumbing to the strong Portuguese runners on both days.

James Hamilton (22) at his first international event took a strong individual bronze in the 3k on Saturday with a time of 9:09. Sunday saw him improve upon that by speeding his way to silver in the 6k, in a strong 20:52, just behind the Portuguese gold medallist.

Manager and Coach, Vic Collins commented: "This GB Team was a great bunch of athletes who gave 100 percent the entire time. James Hamilton put in the strongest performance overall, but the whole team came together encouraging each other throughout the entire weekend".

Chief Executive at the UK Sports Association, Tracey McCillen said: "Great to see the Team achieve the silver medal. A fiercely fought competition and exciting to watch. Tremendously strong individual performance from James Hamilton, but importantly as a Team they came together to achieve a good position for Great Britain." McCillen went onto say "It was a pleasure welcoming our European colleagues, athletes and coaches to Wakefield. My thanks to them all as well as to the Local Organising Committing, our England Member Mencap and to all the sponsors including Wakefield Council and Shanks all of whom made this a successful weekend".

Five countries competed at the Championships, Czech Republic, Portugal, Netherlands, Sweden and Great Britain. The races took place from the 19th-23rd February at Thornes Park in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The Championships were hosted by UKSA's England member Mencap Sport in collaboration with the generous support of Wakefield Council.

The UKSA GB Team was made up of six athletes: Brothers Neill and Tony Collins [Rainham, Essex], twin brothers Chris and Dave Lazenby [East Hunsbury, Northampton], James Hamilton [Ballyclare, Northern Ireland] and Adam Wilson [Bradley Stoke, Bristol]. The Team was led by Manager/Coach Vic Collins with the support of Team Support Officer, Allan Harrison.

Six athletes selected to represent Great Britain at the Inas European Cross Country Championships 5 February 2015

The UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability (UKSA) is excited to announce six competitors from across the UK that have been selected to the UKSA GB Team competing at the 7th Inas European Cross Country Championships this February.

Those six athletes are: brothers Neill and Tony Collins (Rainham, Essex), twin brothers Chris and Dave Lazenby (East Hunsbury, Northampton), James Hamilton (Ballyclare, Northern Ireland) and Adam Wilson (Bradley Stoke, Bristol). Leading the Team will be Manager/Coach Vic Collins with the support of Team Support Officer, Allan Harrison.

Making their international debut are James Hamilton (22) and Adam Wilson (17), both of whom are looking to make their mark at this important event.

British Athlete, Neill Collins said: "This will be the first occasion that the six of us have met. It will be a great opportunity to meet and work together and build bonds for future competition. My team goal for this event is to achieve team gold in both races. I am delighted that the event is being held in Wakefield because we should have good home support."

Chief Executive at the UK Sports Association, Tracey McCillen commented: "The UK Sports Association is delighted that the combined experiences of the athletes will enable Britain to have a strong Team on the start line for the Cross Country. These six athletes will show what British athletes can do and what better place to do that than on home soil. I wish the whole Team every success, look forward to the results, and as the host nation also look forward to welcoming competitors from across Europe to the UK."

The Championships will be held the 19th-23rd February 2015 at Thornes Park in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The event is free and open to the public. Sports fans are encouraged to come and support the event.

The 7th Inas European Cross Country Championships were awarded to UK Sports Association by Inas Europe, but are hosted by UKSA's England member Mencap Sport in collaboration with the generous support of Wakefield Council.

UK to host 7th Inas European cross country championships 20 January 2015

The UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability (UKSA) and Mencap Sport are delighted to announce that the UK will host the 7th Inas European Cross Country Championships in Yorkshire, England from 19th - 23rd February, 2015.

As the Inas member organisation for Great Britain, UKSA has been awarded hosting rights on the basis of a bid for delivery by its England member, Mencap Sport. The two organisations will work in close collaboration to deliver the world class endurance event at Thornes Park in Wakefield. Hosting this important event has been made possible by the Local Organising Committee, led by John Wootton and the generous support provided by Wakefield Council.

Chief Executive at the UK Sports Association, Tracey McCillen said: "The 7th Inas European Cross Country Championships will bring together elite international athletes, their families, coaches and supporters to the City of Wakefield to compete for a coveted place amongst Europe's best. On behalf of UKSA, I wish to warmly congratulate Mencap Sport for driving the bid forward. We look forward to working with Mencap Sport and Wakefield Council who through a strong collaboration will no doubt deliver an outstanding event."

Chief Executive at Mencap Sport, Jan Tregelles said: "We are delighted to host this top sporting event here in the UK," said Jan Tregelles, Chief Executive at Mencap Sport. "We believe that people with a learning disability should have the same opportunities to participate in elite sport, enjoy it, and excel in it as all other athletes. This competition will bring together the most outstanding runners with a learning disability from across Europe and we hope it brings the sport the attention it deserves."

UKSA promotes, facilitates and supports talented athletes with learning disability in the UK to train, compete and excel in national and international competitive sport.

UKSA manages the eligibility and classification process for UK athletes with learning disability. The Great Britain Team is managed by UKSA in collaboration with its four Home Country members, Scottish Disability Sport, Disability Sports Northern Ireland, Welsh Sports Association for People with Learning Disability and Mencap Sport in England.

Mencap Sport works with the governing bodies of sport and other sports providers to promote opportunities for people with a learning disability at all levels.

The Great Britain Team to the Inas event will be selected and managed by the UK Sports Association. Further details on the British Team will be published soon.

My Sport, My Voice! - Leading Change, Enabling Success! 11 December 2014

Recruitment for the My Sport, My Voice! Campaign is well underway, and based on the outstanding talent we saw in London last Friday, the Ambassador and Athlete Rep selection process is going to be tough!

On Friday (28 November) we were delighted to welcome a number of top athletes and their families to the Kia Oval. Each shortlisted candidate impressed the UKSA Team with their professionalism, sporting achievements and genuine enthusiasm for the project.

The second and final recruitment day is set to take place at Manchester City football grounds on Wednesday 10th December.

My Sport, My Voice! aims to raise the profile of talented athletes with learning disability at the elite level by providing a platform to showcase their achievements, inspire others and dispel myths around learning disability. It will highlight achievements at the IPC Paralympic Games and Inas Global Games as well as Crickets Tri Nations Series and others Championships and give a platform to rising stars, Paralympian's and other international stars alike. The brand new programme is managed by the UK Sports Association and is funded by Spirit of 2012.

UKSA will select 12 Ambassadors who will raise awareness of their achievements by representing their sport in the media, co-delivering workshops in their local area and representing the values of My Sport, My Voice! in their local communities through a series of activities. A further 12 Athlete Reps will be selected, who will have their sporting achievements promoted through UKSA's social media channels and website.

UKSA would like to sincerely thank all the athletes involved in the My Sport, My Voice! programme so far. Our thanks also to the National Governing Bodies, British Athletics, British Swimming, BTTAD, England and Wales Cricket Board, the Football Association and the Tennis Foundation for their support, and to our project partners Disability Sports NI, EFDS, Disability Sport Wales, Scottish Disability Sport.

We look forward to sharing further updates with you soon and remember the announcement on who our 12 Ambassadors and 12 Athlete Reps are will be made in the New Year - keep checking back for updates!

INAS Global Games Just 1 Year Away! 25 September 2014

It's just one year to go to the next Inas Global Games! September 20th 2014 marked a significant moment for Inas, the International Federation for sport for para-athletes with an intellectual disability, and FEDEDI, the Federación Ecuatoriana de Deportes para Personas con Discapacidad Intelectual, at it marks exactly 1 year until the opening ceremony of the 2015 Inas Global Games.

The Games take place every four years and provide elite competition in 8 sports. More than 1,000 athletes representing 40 nations are expected to attend the 4th edition of the event which takes place in Guayaquil, Ecuador in 2015.

President of the Organising Committee Juan Carlos Araujo explained, "With one year to go, we are pleased to invite organisations around the world to be involved in this incredible event - as sponsors, as suppliers and as supporters. We believe this is a unique and exciting opportunity for companies to get behind para-sport stars of the future".

Stephen Morris, aged 26 from Cardiff, Great Britain competed in the 2011 Inas Global Games and London 2012 Paralympic Games in the T20 1500m "My first Global Games were very special to me. I made the 800m final and came 6th. The UK Sports Association, the Inas member organisation in the UK, helped to get me into the Global Games. Gerwyn from Disability Sports Wales has been a great help for me over the last one and a half years too. The Global Games helped me get to know the athletes before the Paralympics in 2012. It was a great practice to get me ready for the Paralympics and I'm now hoping to get to Rio 2016! I am really looking forward to the 2015 Global Games. I am hoping to get to the finals and to get into the top 3!"

"The Global Games is an important event on the sporting calendar", remarks Tracey McCillen, Chief Executive, UK Sports Association. "We plan to send a strong British Team to the event, but need the support of funders and business to make it happen. British athletes with learning disability selected to the Global Games Team do not receive any funding from the vast pots available in sport and will have to fundraise for the privilege of representing Great Britain at the Global Games. Policy needs to change to support these talented athletes and our work in preparing them for the rigours of international competition."

The event kicks off on 20th September 2015 with a spectacular opening ceremony in the Alberto Spencer stadium with capacity for 42.000 people in Guayaquil and concludes 7 days later.

For more information on the GB Team contact the UK Sports Association. For more information on Inas see www.inas.org.