EIS at the UK Paralympic Performance Conference
Over two hundred leading Paralympic sport specialists and practitioners convened in Manchester this week (March 12-13) to support preparations for British athletes at future Paralympic Games.
The UK Paralympic Performance Conference, hosted in collaboration between the English Institute of Sport (EIS), UK Sport (UKS), and the British Paralympic Association (BPA), with support from the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport at Loughborough University, is the fourth of its kind to be developed for Para sport practitioners across the high-performance system since London 2012.
The agenda for this year’s conference featured a blend of keynotes, workshops and poster presentations focused specifically on preparations for Tokyo 2020, covering a range of crucial topics that will support the continued development of the UK Paralympic high-performance system into the Paris 2024 cycle and beyond. Over 50% of the workshops and talks were hosted by EIS employees, covering topics ranging from heat preparation, jet lag, and athlete mental health.
That’s a wrap! What a brilliant 2 days at the @ParalympicsGB @eis2win @uk_sport Paralympic Performance Conference with support from @PHC_Lboro . Huge thanks to all the speakers and delegates for their valuable contributions. See you again in 2yrs time? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/1irh4K6drM
— Nik Diaper (@nik_diaper) March 13, 2019
Tom Paulson, Head of Paralympic Performance Support at the EIS added:
“The conference was a great opportunity to have the whole UK Paralympic high-performance system under one roof and to utilise the power of our network. Connecting the system at this time helps to focus our attention on the challenges of Tokyo 2020, but also to begin looking ahead to Paris 2024 and how we can develop our support for athletes and coaches in the next Paralympic cycle. Much of the content shared throughout the conference isn’t available anywhere else in the world and reflects the pioneering work of the EIS’ practitioners who have contributed over half of the sessions across the past two days.
“I’m delighted with how the conference has gone and am looking forward to seeing how the knowledge and information shared is used to maintain our momentum as we collectively prepare for Tokyo.”
What an amazing event to be part of – both as an organiser and a delegate. Full of home grown @eis2win practitioners sharing pioneering work and a truly collaborative atmosphere throughout. See you there in 2 years time! #UKPPC2019 #Tokyoandbeyond #Paris2024 https://t.co/q2b6YBKDo4
— Tom Paulson (@tom_paulson) March 13, 2019
ParalympicsGB returned from Rio 2016 with the third highest medal haul in British Paralympic history after a series of historic performances helped the team to secure second place on the medal table.