Losing my £12k funding has put me in a dark place
GB wheelchair rugby star left devastated by cutbacks
JIM ROBERTS was 19, a talented distance runner and studying to be an architectural technician when he was struck down by meningitis. He lost both his legs below the knee and the index finger of his left hand.
But after emerging from two and a half years in hospital, and what he says were some severe bouts of depression, Roberts not only found the strength to finish his degree but also rediscovered his passion for sport, eventually becoming a member of the Great Britain wheelchair rugby team.
Pursuing his ambitions in architecture was problematic, he explained yesterday, because conducting site visits in a wheelchair is nigh- on impossible. But wheelchair rugby offered him a career, albeit one funded to the tune of just £12,000 a year by UK Sport. The game, he says, was about so much more than money though. At 29, he says it has been a hugely important part of his recovery process.
This week, however, that money was stopped, UK Sport’s refusal to fund wheelchair rugby and a number of other Olympic and Paralympic sports leaving athletes like Roberts in fear of what the future now holds. ‘I’ve put my all into this and it has just been taken away from me,’ said Roberts. ‘I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen.
‘Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby have told us they are going to organise a fundraising campaign but there is no guarantee that the money will be there.
‘ It’s definitely a worrying situation because it’s not just the money I receive every month, which is my main source of income and is used to pay for things like travel expenses. As a UK Sport-funded athlete you get an Oyster card for travelling in London — I use that a lot — and something called a gold card that gets you discounts on certain items and things like physiotherapy.
‘In fact, physio is one of the things GBWR will now struggle to fund because of this decision. That and other help we get as a team from sports psychologists and strength and conditioning coaches.’
Roberts suspects UK Sport’s decision is based on simple logic.
‘ We were fifth in London in 2012 and fifth in Rio, so they won’t see any signs of improvement there,’ he said.
‘But what I don’t think they’ve looked at is the actual performances (they lost to eventual gold medal winners, Australia) and the margin of defeat compared to 2012. We were improving and I have no doubt we are good enough to be in contention for a medal in Tokyo in 2020. We were good enough in Rio.
‘ What doesn’t really make any sense is the timing of the decision. It was in 2012 that they gave us the funding designed to deliver a medal in Tokyo and they’ve pulled it at the halfway stage.’
On a personal level it is devastating for Roberts. ‘The last time I felt this uncertainty was when I realised I couldn’t pursue my ambitions in architecture and I wondered what I was going to do with my life,’ he said.
‘Wheelchair rugby gave me direction. Today I’m back in that place again.’