Iwan Thomas calls for recognition for para athletes
Iwan Thomas believes para athletes deserve more recognition as momentum from London 2012 slips away.
The World Para Athletics Championships are under way in Paris with little fanfare.
Great Britain’s Jonathan Broom-Edwards defended his T64 high jump title, while Zac Shaw and Danny Sidbury won bronze in the T12 100m and T54 5000m respectively on Monday.
But Thomas – who won 4x400m silver at the Atlanta Olympics and was the 1998 European 400m champion – feels the athletes need more acknowledgement for their achievements on the world stage.
He said: “I worked in Christchurch, New Zealand, for the Para World Championships in 2011 and it was like one man and his dog were watching.
“I felt sorry for the athletes but then London 2012 came about and obviously that was a game changer.
“The athletes competed in front of 80,000 people, millions of viewers at home and got the recognition they rightly deserve. David Weir and Hannah Cockroft became household names.
“Obviously it’s quite sad when you go back to the World Championships now and you think, perhaps not as many people at home are aware it is going on.
“I hope for Paris next year at the Paralympics they’ll get the great crowds and the recognition they deserve.
“We’ve got some fantastic athletes. So hopefully this is just a small little blip.
“The sporting world has changed slightly over the last couple of years with the pandemic and I hope our para athletes do feel wanted and hopefully they’ll get the recognition they deserve.”
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