UKSA celebrates amazing female athletes on International Women’s Day

The UK Sports Association (UKSA) is celebrating female athletes with learning disability for their achievements in and out of sport over the years.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration marking the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

It is also a focal point in the campaign for gender parity worldwide.

UKSA currently boasts six incredible female athletes associated with the ‘My Sport, My Voice!’ project, which aims to both raise awareness, dispel myths and challenge myths about learning disability, as part of a series of ‘Engage!’ workshops.

Bethany Firth, Gold medallist swimmer, who has been named one of the athletes to watch for 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, and Double European and World Heptathlon Champion (FT20) Martina Barber, are official Athlete Ambassadors for the project.

Martina said: “It’s wonderful that UKSA are marking International Women’s Day in this way. They have constantly supported me and are a truly unique and wonderful organisation.”

She added: “People with learning disability want to lead fulfilling, happy and rewarding lives – just like anyone else. They want to work. They want to study. They want to participate in sport. You can see this first hand at the Engage! workshops. They are truly inspirational events.”

Sabrina Fortune, Katie Nesbitt, Chloe Davies, and Holly Durbidge make up the rest of the female team as UKSA Reps at the workshops.

Sabrina is the Number 1 F20 shot putter in her age group for Wales Athletics in both mainstream and classified events. Katie Nesbitt is a 4-time Gold Medallist swimmer at the 2014 Netherlands Junior European Champions.

Chloe Davies competed for Team GB team at London 2012, while Holly Durbidge is a T20 athlete, who is currently a full-time gymnastics coach.

The project enables our Ambassadors and Reps to talk openly about their training, achievements, and overcoming personal challenges as well as engaging with policy and decision-makers through community visits and ‘Engage!’ workshops.

UKSA thanks them all for their huge contribution to date.
To attend an Engage! Workshop, or for more information please visit www.uksportsassociation.org Alternatively email engage@sportexceluk.org or call 020 7490 3057.