Prospective Paralympians Spotted At Caerphilly Leisure Centre
With the Olympics well underway and the Paralympics preparing to begin next month, the hunt for rising Paralympians has begun.
Organised by Sport Caerphilly and held in Caerphilly Leisure Centre, the Operation Tokyo 2020 event was designed to find talented swimmers who have either a visual, intellectual or physical impairment.
The programme is Swim Wales’ plan to identify future Paralympians who may not have been spotted yet. The programme looks to enhance the skills the swimmer may already possess with the opportunity to progress to National and International competitions.
To enter, participants had to be between the ages of 8 and 35 and be a confident swimmer with a love for competing in the pool. They must also show dedication and commitment to the sport.
The event was very successful with a total of 3 people taking part from both a primary and secondary school setting. Pupils were then signposted to their local swimming clubs to continue their skill development in swimming with the prospects to enter competitive club training, classification and on to National and International competitions.
The successful participants were Niamh Williams, 13, from Lewis Girls School, Mason Williams, 10, from White Rose Primary School and Mollie Noakes, 8, from Ysgol Gymraeg Cwm Derwen.
Cllr Nigel George, cabinet member for community and leisure services said, “Well done to the three swimmers whose talent was identified at the event. It is a great achievement to even be considered a future Paralympian. I wish them all the luck with their futures in the sport and maybe we will see them on our television screens in years to come.”
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