Ade Adepitan MBE, Paralympian

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There’s not much that Ade Adepitan hasn’t accomplished. The super enthusiastic Paralympian has won medals at the highest level, completed the London marathon, and succeeded as a sports commentator and actor. The retired athlete is an 18-year veteran of Wheelchair Basketball, winning bronze at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, and gold at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.

Just as importantly however, Ade was an integral part of the delegation that went to Singapore to win the 2012 Olympic bid for London.

Ade became interested in wheelchair basketball after watching coverage of the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984. He gave the sport a spin and, after triumphing at the Stoke Mandeville Junior Games, never looked back. His swift manoeuvres and fast, accurate throwing on court helped propel Great Britain’s basketball team to glory, and the team has continued to strive forward since his retirement in 2006. The men's and women's teams took silver and bronze respectively at the Paralympic World Cup in May 2008, setting up an exciting prospect for the upcoming Beijing Paralympic Games.

Ade is travelling with the Paralympians to Beijing and will be reporting on all the latest news for BT. In addition, his experience and energy are sure to be a massive inspiration to the competing athletes in their quest to bring home gold.

Ade’s hard work and enthusiasm make him a worthy role model and important ambassador to British Paralympians, and his services to disabled sport have earned him an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, and an Honorary Doctorate from Loughborough University. His dedication to disabled sport has played a pivotal role in building the exposure and development of the Paralympic Games in London 2012.

Ade is a patron of the disabled sport charity, WheelPower, The Association of Wheelchair Children and Scope, and is also an ambassador for the NSPCC and The Prince’s Trust.