A Westminster-based charity has raised £59,000 to support female Paralympic hopefuls get to the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Path to Success, is a charity that supports women in disability sport, enabling underfunded female Paralympians to access sporting opportunities that will help take their careers further.
HOPEFUL
Thanks to the charity, 12 female Tokyo 2020 hopefuls have received a major boost in their journey to the Paralympics. The women compete in four major disability sports: para badminton, wheelchair tennis, para powerlifting and wheelchair basketball.
Athletes include para powerlifters Olivia Broome and Louise Sugden; wheelchair tennis stars Jordanne Whiley, Lucy Shuker, Lauren Jones, Ruby Bishop, Abbie Breakwell and Louise Hunt; para badminton’s Mary Wilson, Rebecca Bedford and Rachel Choong; and wheelchair basketball player Sophie Patterson.
Path to Success raised the money at a fundraising gala dinner held at the Historic Church House in Westminster, in aid of the charity’s Path to Tokyo 2020 campaign.
ACCESS
The women are at the elite level of their respective sports but are underfunded due to falling outside of central funding programmes. This means many are forced to self-fund through any means necessary.
Women’s disability sport is still underfunded, and the money raised by the charity ensures more disabled women can afford coaching, tournament entry fees, travel costs, physiotherapy and court hire fees.
The funding ensures sport becomes more accessible to all, and more disabled people are able to fulfil their dreams of competing at the Paralympics.
For more information about Path to Success, visit www.pathtosuccess.org.uk
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