Skip to main content

National Paralympic Day - Liam Holt talks wheelchair hoops

Ahead of National Paralympic Day on Saturday 7th September we will be running a series of interviews on the Paralympics - particularly wheelchair basketball.

If you want to know more about the sport of wheelchair basketball click HERE for an introduction to the sport (go to the bottom of the page).

Liam Holt is our first interviewee, he plays wheelchair basketball and was part of Channel 4's Paralympic presenting team during London 2012.

Holt was keen to encourage people who hadn't played or seen wheelchair basketball to get involved.

He said: "It's a fast-paced game which is brutal at times! To me it is just as exciting as the able-bodied game."

"The wheelchairs add a different dimension, the element of positioning and controlling the chairs make the game more strategical."

"It's exciting to watch, like an extreme chess or chess with violence! People who come for the first time are pleasantly surprised by what they see."

"I started playing when I was nine, I went to a taster day at my local leisure centre and the sport caught my attention instantly, my dad is able-bodied and he joined in as well - able-bodied people are able to play in the league as well."

With a keen interest in wheelchair basketball, Holt became a member of Channel 4's  highly successful Paralympics, what does he think the future holds for the coverage?

"London [2012] was a real pioneer in the coverage, there was dedicated coverage throughout the day and the fact it was on a separate channel from the Olympics gave the Paralympics it's own identity."

"There is a lot of human interest from the public in hearing the paralympians stories but they soon realised the elite level of sport involved."

"It's great that we have a dedicated day to recognise the various achievements and promote disability sport, people can see the legacy, there are now many household names in the Paralympic world."

For tickets for National Paralympic Day click HERE or for more info click HERE.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kendal Johnson wants to ball in the BBL

Kendal Johnson is an American who wants to play in England in a busy week where he is likely to find out where he will be playing and when. Johnson is the cousin of NBA star Marcus Camby and is looking to be a player/coach in the British Basketball League or English Basketball League. He admits he doesn't know too much about the current state of British basketball but has heard good things. He said: 'I've always wanted to go to England but I don't know a lot about the basketball league, I have a friend at the Worcester Wolves and he has told me there is lot's of positives.' 'I've played basketball since I was little obviously having Marcus Camby as a cousin I was always in that sort of environment.' Johnson revealed he had been in talks with various BBL and EBL clubs and is hoping a move can be agreed in the coming days. He also thinks that it is important to get young people involved in sport. He added: 'One thing I would like to ...

Wolves' Director hopeful of final place

Worcester Wolves’ Managing Director Mick Donovan hopes the team can reward fans’ loyalty with a Final day out as he looks ahead to this week’s BBL Cup clash. The University of Worcester-owned side prepares to face Sheffield Sharks for a place in the final in Birmingham. Donovan said: "We are very proud and appreciative of our loyal fans and this season has seen record breaking home attendances compared to previous seasons. "The fans have a good understanding of the game and, regardless of results and performances, they continue to approach each game with a positive mindset and get behind the team.  "There is certainly a feeling of cup fever in the Worcester Wolves basketball camp this week.  Everyone at the Club would love to see Wolves make the prestigious final in Birmingham and the players in particular will be determined to reward the fans and club volunteers with a semi-final win that would bring a great Cup Final day out.  I am sure that i...

New logo for NBA 2K League

The NBA 2K League have unveiled their new logo. The logo incorporates the colour and shape of the NBA logo but uses the font from the NBA 2K franchise. The 17 teams in the league have also unveiled their logos. A basketball was selected as the centerpiece as "it represents the common thread between all NBA 2K players." The logos were designed by branding agency RARE Design of Hattiesburg.