Disability Athletics Support Profile

All information correct as of July 2012

Sport: Disability Athletics
Performance Director: Peter Eriksson
Athletes EIS work with: 40
Investment in EIS services since 2009: £2,446,357*
EIS services accessed: Sports Medicine, Physiotherapy, Soft tissue therapy, Strength & Conditioning, Sports Psychology, Biomechanics, Performance Lifestyle
Hours of support received: 6,461

* Investment figure includes investment in paralympic support as well as Olympic
 

The EIS team behind Disability Athletics

The EIS has worked with British Disability Athletics over the past two Paralympic cycles and predominantly delivers support to athletes out of UKA’s High Performance Centres in Loughborough and Lee Valley.

Sports Psychology has been well integrated over the past cycle, working closely with coaches as well as athletes from areas such as handling pressure to dealing with a home Games.

Strength and conditioning, physiotherapy and soft tissue therapy, both in training and competition has also been a core area of support for the squad as has the increased use of biomechanics.

“When I started this job I really wanted us to improve and now we’re really doing things better. This is the best team, and best staff, I’ve ever worked with.

In my opinion, the most significant change since I started working with UKA in January 2009 is the overall improved level of integration in everything we do, but in particular the integrated support services that we share with our Olympic counterparts in areas such as physiology, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, psychology and nutrition, for example, and also the improved quality of coaching, camps and other services we receive.

In fact, a survey at the end of 2011 conducted by UK Sport with our Paralympic athletes revealed that 88% agreed that the World Class Programme (WCP) provides them with the support that meets their individual needs and 94% agreed that their squad/team is confident in its ability to achieve its performance goals at London 2012.

The reason we were so good in New Zealand (where the team finished third in the medal table at the IPC World Athletics Championships in 2011) was because we communicated, we talked to one another and supported one another, and we were well prepared. That has continued and there is no reason that we can’t succeed this time.

I’m proud to lead this team, it’s an honour for me, and it is an opportunity of a lifetime for all of us.”  Peter Eriksson, Head Coach.