Loughborough University plays pivotal role in the UK Paralympic Performance Conference

Delegates at the UK Paralympic Performance Conference.

More than 200 leading Paralympic sport specialists gathered in Manchester earlier this month for the UK Paralympic Performance Conference, which was supported by Loughborough’s Peter Harrison Centre (PHC) for Disability Sport.

The conference, hosted in collaboration between UK Sport, the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and the British Paralympic Association (BPA), was the fourth of its kind to be developed for Para sport practitioners across the high-performance system since London 2012.

It featured keynote speakers, workshops and presentations focused specifically on preparations for Tokyo 2020.

The University’s Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport, which is dedicated to improving knowledge about Paralympic sport and promoting the benefits that can be gained through participation in disability sport and physical activity, was delighted to be part of the event.

Speaking about its role at the conference, Centre Director Professor Vicky Tolfrey said: “I have been involved in various versions of this conference, as a Conference Planning Group member, for many years. I am incredibly proud of how the system has progressed, and to see over 200 Para Sport specialists in the room at this year’s event is testament to the hard work of everyone involved.

“The Peter Harrison Centre helped with the preparation, organisation and delivery of the conference, with further work conducted behind the scenes, including poster and workshop contributions by staff members. Loughborough University, it’s Institute of Advance Studies, and the Peter Harrison Centre also sponsored keynote speaker Professor Rory Cooper to attend, which was extremely well received by those in attendance.” 

Loughborough is a world leader in disability sport research and recently appointed Nik Diaper as its first Head of Para Sport.