Did you know gymnastics is not included in the Paralympics? A team from Scotland is fighting to change that as it sets its sights on the 2032 Games.
It is one of the most popular Olympic sports, but gymnastics is not part of the Paralympic programme.
It wasn’t until last year that gymnastics’ governing body, the FIG, recognised para-gymnastics as an official discipline within the sport.
They have now set out ambitious plans for it to be included in time for the Brisbane Paralympic Games in 2032.
And one disability gymnastics team in Glasgow is leading the way to make Paralympics GB a reality.
Ten-year-old Millie Sinnott and her family have decided to uproot their lives and move more than 400 miles from Hertfordshire to South Ayrshire to be part of it.
The young para-gymnast dreams of winning a Paralympic gold medal, but she cannot compete at elite international level because she was born with the limb disability symbrachydactyly.
She has joined City of Glasgow Gymnastics club as they offer the only specialist para-gymnastic training in the UK.
Before her move, support to help Millie compete with her disability was limited.
Now, in Glasgow, she gets twice weekly three hour training sessions that are focused on disability gymnastics and she regularly competes as part of the Scottish team.
Millie said: “It’s really nice to know people have difficulties just like mine or are different like mine or still struggle because of their disabilities. There are people out there who are the same as me who love gymnastics and get over their difficulties.”
Her mum, Kathryn, says she was disappointed and shocked to learn about the lack of disability coaching available across the UK.
She was told if Millie was serious about the sport then she would need to come to Glasgow.
“Scotland is the place to be for para-gymnastics, so here we are.”
Millie’s mum added: “It was such a shame, we couldn’t get that support in England. We wouldn’t have considered moving if everything was down there. That’s the difference this squad in Glasgow. To anywhere we’ve had before. They just have such specialist knowledge on these girls.”
Angela Turner, Glasgow’s lead disability coach, believes all gyms across the country should be adapting their equipment to match the needs of the gymnast in front of them, regardless of whether they have an impairment or not.
She is at the forefront of championing the case to create Paralympics GB in para-gymnastics.
“We need to sort out our domestic programmes,” said Angela. “We need more clubs to get involved and we need more people with a disability to see gymnastics as an option for them.”
The next stage is to get more international uptake so they can meet the Paralympic criteria of having 32 countries competing.
Millie and her teammates have overcome many obstacles to get this far but there’s still a few more leaps to take before they can achieve Paralympic equality.
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