11 June 2010
By Sarah Marl
Over 50 disabled players from across the country will compete this weekend- in the DSE National Table Tennis Championships. Young talented and established stars will take to the table at Grantham Meres Leisure Centre. Disability Sport Events (DSE) is holding the annual Championships on 12-13 June, generously supported by the Disability Sports Development Trust. Paralympians who competed in Beijing are amongst the competitors, including Cathy Mitton from York. Talented young players such as Jack Pegram will also compete amongst the best too. DSE is proud of the champions who come through our programmes. Jack is a prime success stories. The 18 year old Jack from Watford won the Nationwide Rising Star award in 2007, which recognised his potential success and gave him an amazing £6,000 bursary. He has since secured a spot on the World Class Performance Programme. “I love the DSE Tournaments”, Jack said. “It’s good experience to play different players and great to meet up and play with old friends. I hope this weekend I can play to my best ability and maybe even come away with a medal. Training is going well, but I only ever concentrate on the next tournament and try not to look too far ahead”. And Jack was keen to emphasise the importance of sport in his life- to other young disabled people who may want to try out sport. “There are loads of sports to play and it’s good for you! Try the ones you like and then concentrate on the one you enjoy the most. It will probably be the one you’re best at. It can be a social experience and you can play for fun or more competitively”. Other partners assisting the championships are ETTA, BTTAD, Water Direct, Mencap Sport and UK Deaf Sport. Further information about DSE and the winners from this event will be available via www.disabilitysport.org.uk. It is free for spectators and runs on both Saturday (10-5pm) and Sunday (9.30am-3pm) -ends- Spectators can attend free of charge at Grantham Meres Leisure Centre. The media are also welcome to attend. Please register any cameras at the information desk first. Saturday 10am-5pm Sunday 10m-3pm Interviews are available with prior request. Event information: Garry Hyndman, Disability Sport Events, garry@dse.org.uk 07817 787542 Media information: Sarah Marl, Disability Sport Events, sarah@dse.org.uk 07764 291671 Notes to editors: Disability Sport Events
www.disabilitysport.org.uk Provides a comprehensive competition calendar to increase the number of disabled people participating at all levels of the player pathway, and support the identification and development of talented performers
Organises regional, national and international championships in a variety of sports, providing pathways to further success
DSE is the events division of the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS)
English Federation of Disability Sport is the umbrella organisation for the development of sport for disabled people in England.
www.efds.co.uk Key areas of expertise include: · Providing advice, guidance and information on sport for disabled people · Actively campaigning and lobbying to raise the profile of disabled sportswomen and sportsmen · Influencing and supporting partners across the delivery system of sport to be more inclusive and to provide a greater range and quality of sporting opportunities for disabled people · Attracting additional funds to sport for disabled people · Working with partners to empower disabled people to take a more active role in all aspects of sport and physical activity · Developing and rolling-out national programmes to improve access to sport and physical activity by disabled people, such as the Inclusive Fitness Initiative · Providing a range of inclusive, high quality training and coaching opportunities to increase the number of disabled people involved in sport and physical activity
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