Deganwy star Rebecca Chin receives new sports blow

Dec 11 2008 by Mari Jones, North Wales Weekly News

Becca Chin

PARALYMPIAN Rebecca Chin’s tumultuous year continues with the news she’s been thrown out of the Disability Sport Wales Academy.

Her year of highs and lows began in September when the Deganwy teenager thought she’d won a silver medal at the Paralympic Games in Beijing, smashing the world record in the F37/38 discus.

But she later had her silver medal taken away in a heartbreaking ruling after her disability was reclassified.

The decision devastated the 16-year-old, who received support from the likes of Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Steve Cram and Dame Kelly Holmes. She returned to the UK vowing to battle on and her dream is still to represent her country at the London Olympics in 2012.

However, she recently received a letter from the Disability Sport Wales Academy saying she can no longer attend training and no longer has a coach. The news has confused Rebecca and she feels she hasn’t been given a proper explanation for the Academy’s actions.

“I’ve been told because I’ve been declassified I can no longer train at the Welsh Academy. It means any funding I had for any equipment I needed has been taken away and I’ve no longer got a coach,” she said.

“I’m gutted as I was very proud to be in the academy and feel I’ve been badly treated. I’m also confused because when I returned from Beijing, they were very supportive.”

Welsh Disability Sport Wales Academy manager Gerwyn Owen says they are only following rules and regulations.

“Unfortunately because Rebecca has been declassified she’s not eligible to fit in with the academy at the moment. There is a review of the classification system taking place at the moment; we will know the results early next year,” he said.

“We have to follow a process as we are publicly funded and have to have certain standards and criteria. We have to go through this review although it is an awful situation for Rebecca, and indeed myself as I’m the one who got her into the academy.”

However, steely Rebecca is determined to battle on and for the past five weeks has taken up rowing, and last weekend won the Under-18s Welsh Indoor Rowing Championships.

“It has been a very tough five weeks but I’m very pleased to have won a gold last weekend,” said Rebecca, a pupil at Ysgol Aberconwy. “The coach says I’m good enough to be in the senior rowing team, which is fantastic. It has given me a real boost and some of my confidence back.”