Paralympics In Ian's Sights

As the new leader of wheelchair bowls at international level, Ian is determined to see the sport returned to the fold of the Paralympics, the highest arena of competition for disabled sportsmen and women.

Already the chairman of the British Wheelchair Bowling Association (BWBA), this friendly, go-ahead 40-year-old has clearly been a breath of fresh air for the organisation, which has enjoyed a 40 per cent membership rise in the past two years to almost 150 bowlers.

A couple of years ago, Ian took early retirement from his bank manager s job and now devotes much of his time and energy to promoting the wheelchair game nationally and internationally from his home at Station Road, East Preston, where he lives with his wife and two children.

He also plays the game at a high standard, as a member of a top- flight team in the indoor league at Field Place, Worthing, during the winter, and outdoors with East Preston in the warmer months.

Ian, an England squad member, narrowly missed out on a place with the national team at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester later this year bowls is one of the 10 sports where able-bodied and disabled players will be in teams alongside each other at the games.

But the Paralympics are the goal towards which Ian is driving wheelchair bowling.

"Bowls has yo-yoed in and out of the Paralympics over the years. It was out at Sydney, surprisingly, given that bowls is such a major sport over there. It was in for Atlanta in 1996, but was left out at Barcelona four years earlier.

"To qualify as a Paralympic sport, it has to be played in 24 countries and I m certain we now meet the criteria for that. We are too late to make it for Athens in 2004, but I am convinced we have a very good chance four years later in China."

For the full story, see the Gazette, January 24.