03.09.07
News...
HELP US GET ATHLETES IN THE RUNNING FOR MEDALS - 03 September 2007
The head of a voluntary organisation set up to train deaf athletes to international standard is fighting to increase awareness and funding so the charity can achieve its aims. Deaf UK Athletics was founded by director Brian Kokoruwe, of Chesterton.
He has just returned from the European Deaf Athletics Championships in Bulgaria, where the GB team he manages won one gold and two silver medals. But he says the nine athletes who made the journey to Sofia in Bulgaria were unable to acclimatise because they could only afford to arrive two days before the championships started. Medal hopefuls had to drop out of races in the heat, sometimes metres from the finish. Brian has written a detailed letter to MP Gerry Sutcliffe, a minister in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, expressing his concerns. It has been copied to Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Olympics, Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People and Jane Hutt the Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills.
Nigerian-born Brian battled back from the brink of death after being struck by meningitis, which left him deaf and unable to walk at the age of 13. But he went on to become a champion runner, competing in the 200 metres and 400 metres. He has seen a rapid decline in the number of deaf competitors taking part in athletics due to funding problems. He set up Deaf UK Athletics in 2002 to reverse the trend and has passed his UK Athletics level two coaching qualification so that he can pass on his skills. But the organisation does not receive any direct government funding. And it says that deaf athletes are not part of the Paralympics, although many organisations supporting disability sports automatically feel that deaf athletics is supported as well.
Brian said: "Many coaches have problems communicating their expertise to deaf athletes, and so deaf athletes are disadvantaged. I see no reason, other than the quality of coaching, that makes mainstream athletes run a better marathon than a deaf athlete." Brian funds his involvement in the GB team through donations. He added: "The Deaf Athletics Team has no official regular funding at present. We receive donations from UK Athletics - the national governing body for athletics. But it is not enough to cover the athletes' and officials' expenses. We have to individually fund raise for ourselves. For the Taiwan 2009 Deaflympics, we need to raise about £40,000."
Deaf pool professional Carl Morris said: "I don't think there is enough money for deaf people. Deaf people are not as confident and when they are not able to communicate, it stops them from doing things like sports." His mother Rose Morris said: "When Carl was younger, it was very difficult because when he would join in sports with hearing people there were problems like not being able to hear a whistle."
Deaf UK Athletics is not the only organisation campaigning against the funding problems. UK Deaf Sport will discuss the issue at its AGM later this month. Are you a member of Deaf UK Athletics fighting for sponsorship?
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