It is part of a £1.7 million commitment by business advisory firm Deloitte to develop disability sports in the UK.

 

Dame Tanni, patron of the British Paralympic Association (BPA), met groups of young people and adults with a disability, at Queens Club, in London for the first demonstration of the virtual sports portal established through the scheme. 

 

Parasport has been created and will be run by BPA on behalf of Deloitte. 

 

The online resource, www.parasport.org.uk, will allow disabled people to discover the sporting options open to them locally. 

 

Through Deloitte Parasport, talented young athletes will also have the opportunity to find out what further support is available to them and how to qualify for funding through the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS), delivered by SportsAid in association with the national governing bodies of sport. 

 

To ensure that financial support meets the demand that Parasport will stimulate, Deloitte’s programme also doubles the Government’s investment in TASS bursaries for sports people with disabilities.

 

Dame Tanni races her last competitive race in Manchester next week at the Visa Paralympic World Cup and is concerned at the lack of people taking up sport for the disabled in this country with the Paralympic Games of 2012 just five years away.

 

Dame Tanni said: “We need to encourage more youngsters, as well as the disabled community as a whole, to take up sport either competitively or for health reasons and the Deloitte Parasport scheme will open up that opportunity wherever they are in the UK.”

 

Deloitte Parasport enables users to engage with a sport or sports either directly or through regional multi-sport taster sessions.

 

“We wanted to create a clear route for people to follow”, said BPA chief executive Phil Lane, who first devised the scheme. 

 

“With integration at school-level many young people do not necessarily know how to access sport for the disabled in their local area. 

 

"Equally, we needed to address finding new athletes for the GB team in time for 2012 and beyond. This scheme should help extend the talent pool”.

 

Once individuals have become engaged in a sport or number of sports, there are options to stay in recreational sport as well as for the talented amongst them to access competitive opportunities. 

 

The programme sets out to improve opportunities for talented sports people at community level to be identified and supported, with the aim of increasing participation levels in competitive sporting events.

 

Deloitte chairman, Martin Scicluna, said: “We are delighted that Deloitte Parasport is going live today.  This is the first virtual, on-line facility of its kind for people with disabilities to pursue their sporting interests. 

 

"We believe that Deloitte Parasport will boost the numbers of people playing disabled sport in the community, and will help create the next generation of world class athletes to continue the UK’s great performance in international disability sport events.

 

“Deloitte has a strong tradition of supporting community endeavour and nurturing top talent and this scheme reflects our commitment to making a difference in the community and to nurturing potential in young people.

 

“As top talent starts to emerge, we appreciate that there are financial hurdles for disabled people who have the potential for exceptional performance but who need a helping hand at the start of their sporting careers. 

 

"Our sponsorship for individual athletes will double the scope of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) and the TASS 2012 scheme, specifically for people with disabilities.”

 

Lane said:  “With increasing challenges from around the world, it is essential we find new and innovative ways to support young and emerging talent and having a city firm like Deloitte involved at this level is hugely important.”

 

Tim Lawler, chief executive of SportsAid said: “Deloitte’s commitment is already making a difference as demonstrated by the increased number of talented athletes with a disability supported by TASS.

 

"The launch of the Deloitte Parasport will build on that and ensure that all athletes with a disability are aware of the opportunities available to them.”