'We need more sport sessions for disabled people'

A tennis player who won gold at the Special Olympics has said there needs to be more sport sessions for people with intellectual disabilities.

Adam Brownsword, from Folkestone in Kent, said targeted sessions could remove barriers to sport and change people's lives.

The 24-year-old said there was a lack of sporting clubs and opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, alongside awareness about the issue itself.

Mr Brownsword, who was diagnosed with autism and ADHD as a child, won a gold medal in the mixed doubles tennis at last year's Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.

He said the contest was the best two weeks of his life, adding: "It was amazing. I've never felt anything like it."

Mr Brownsword, who has been playing tennis for 12 years and is assistant coach at Canterbury Tennis Club, told the BBC that sport had made him more sociable and helped his focus.

"It is something to look forward to," he said.

He was recently appointed to the Special Olympics GB Athlete Leadership Team, who represent fellow athletes and act as sports ambassadors.

The tennis player said he wanted to use his position to help create more groups locally and show "how those of us with an intellectual disability can overcome barriers and follow our dreams".

"Not many people are aware about the Special Olympics in this county," he added.

The Special Olympics, founded in 1968, aims to "end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities".

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