The Local Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) invited Ashford Borough Council to host a local Ceremony. Recognising Nicholas as one of their most successful residents, the flag raising honour and that of Sporting Ambassador for Active Ashford, the Borough’s Sports Partnership was bestowed on this swimmer with learning disability.
“I’m really happy” says Nicholas Boylan, “but a bit nervous as well”.
“This is a high profile event” says Simon Harris, Senior Sports Operation Development Officer. “With the Games on our doorstep and just 4 years away, there’s real excitement for the Country and locally here in Ashford especially as 4 venues have been selected as possible pre Olympic Games training camps and also a Paralympic Training Camp at the Stour Centre I’m delighted Nick is going to be part of the Ceremony so we can let the people of Ashford see his achievements and what a talent he is”.
Attending on the day will be the Mayor of Ashford and Cllr Clarkson, the borough’s Portfolio Holder for Culture and Sport. The Ceremony starts at 2.00pm at the Civic Centre, Ashford Borough Council and coincides with the Stour Centre’s “free swim” day.
“My congratulations to Nicholas, I know he will be a great Sports Ambassador as he claims his piece of history as part of the celebrations welcoming the Games to the UK”, comments Tracey McCillen, National Director, UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability. “It’s a busy month for him as he will just have returned from the INAS-FID European Swimming Championships in Poland. I would like to wish him well in the Championships and hope that he will have the flag ceremony and many other reasons aswell to celebrate on the 24th as I’m sure he will do a great job again on the Great Britain Team!”
Nicholas Boylan's greatest moments include winning a number of individual medals and the 4 x 200m Freestyle relay at the INAS-FID World Championships in Belgium 2007, where the team broke the World Record by 18 seconds plus winning two individual gold medals at the 2006 INAS-FID European Swimming Championships in Hungary.
LOCOG as part of the handover celebrations have invited all Boroughs in England to host a handover flag raising ceremony on 24th August 2008.
The ban on athletes with intellectual disability competing in the Paralympic Games continues. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the International Sports Federation (INAS-FID) continue to discuss how and when athletes with intellectual disability will be re-admitted. There will be no programme for athletes with intellectual disability in 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. The situation for London 2012 remains undecided.
The UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability (UKSA), working with its members and other organisations across the UK, has been leading a campaign since 2001 for the ban to be lifted. UKSA continues to urge LOCOG and MP’s to use their influence to have the ban overturned in time for London 2012 and for Government to address the lack of funding for athletes across the UK as a result of the continued IPC ban.
