Alice Tai nominated for BEDSA

Paralympic champion Alice Tai MBE is nominated for the Youth Sport Trust Young Athlete of the Year award in the upcoming British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards (BEDSAs).

Tai competes in the SB9 and S10 classifications for swimmers with impaired muscle power.

She underwent numerous operations as a child to correct her club feet. As a result, her ankles are fused at 90 degrees. This limits her movement and she has reduced muscle power in her legs.

The Bournemouth Collegiate School swimmer has a number of international accolades to her name. She represented Britain at the IPC Swimming World Championships in 2015 where she won a total of four medals.

She was also on the ParalympicsGB swimming team and represented her country in Rio last summer.

The 17-year-old won an individual bronze medal in the S10 100m Backstroke. She also took gold as part of the Women’s 400m Medley Relay (34pts). The team consisted of Tai, Claire Cashmore, Stephanie Millward and Steph Slater. They secured a new world record time on the penultimate day of competition.

Happy to have been nominated for the Youth #BEDSA2017 ?

You can follow the link below to go and vote!! ?????? https://t.co/qr1ePOgB97

— Alice Tai (@Alice_Tai725) January 20, 2017

Tai commented on her nomination, “Being nominated for the BEDSA Young Sports Person award is incredible! I love the fact that I’m in a position where I can help promote ethnic diversity within sports.

“Representing Great Britain in Rio was really a dream come true; something I’d wanted to achieve ever since I started swimming! I don’t really remember what I was thinking on the podium, I think I was in shock!

“Singing the national anthem with my team mates in the relay was really special. I saw my family and some friends in the crowd whilst reviving the medals and I was really grateful for their support.”

To vote for Alice Tai for the Youth Sport Trust Young Athlete of the Year award, please head over to the BEDSA website.

Voting is completely free and closes on Sunday 5 March 2017.

What are the BEDSAs?

BEDSA stands for British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards. It is an annual celebration of the achievements of black, Asian and minority ethnic athletes from all across the UK.

The awards recognise the sporting achievements of some of the best athletes in the country, to inspire and encourage more BAME participation across sport.

In 2016 London based community swimming group, Swim Dem Crew, were honoured at the awards.

They received the Sport England Community Sports Project award for their outstanding work encouraging adults from all different backgrounds to learn how to swim.