New learning disability sports partnership

Thursday 24 November 2011

Mencap Sport and Special Olympics GB have launched the English Learning Disability Sports Alliance

Two leading organisations promoting sport for people with a learning disability have formed a new partnership called the English Learning Disability Sports Alliance.

Mencap Sport and Special Olympics GB will share skills and resources, working together to promote inclusive sporting opportunities for people with a learning disability.

People with a learning disability are less likely to regularly take part in sport than non-disabled people and are more likely to suffer from conditions relating to physical inactivity.

The English Learning Disability Sports Alliance will work to make sure that learning disability sport receives the attention it deserves at every level. It will aim to build on the momentum of next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games to increase the number of people with a learning disability taking part in sport.

Mark Goldring, Mencap's chief executive, said: “The establishment of the English Learning Disability Sport Alliance and the inclusion of elite athletes with a learning disability in the London 2012 Paralympic Games provide a real impetus for us to raise awareness of the achievements and benefits of learning disability sport.”

Karen Wallin, chief executive of Special Olympics GB, said: “There are 1.2 million people with learning disabilities in Great Britain and we are currently reaching just a fraction of them. Our alliance will help us reach more athletes of all ability levels and encourage them to be the best they can be.”

Find out more about Mencap Sport and Special Olympics GB