UK Deaf Sport board is thrilled to announce the appointment of Deaflympian Andrea Hardwick as the new Honorary President.

Andrea was appointed by members at the recent Annual General Meeting and will serve as Honorary President for a two year term.

Chris Ratcliffe, CEO UK Deaf Sport said “I am pleased to see Andrea joining us as our President for the next 2 years. Andrea enhances our ability to engage more widely with Deaflympians past and present sharing the benefit of her vast experience with new athletes and young deaf people aspiring to become elite athletes in their own right.“

Andrea is a Deaflympian who has competed as an athlete in 6 Deaflympic Games between 1981 and 2009 as a swimmer and badminton player winning six medals in total (1 Gold, 2 Silver & 3 Bronze). She was also the Team Manager for the GB Deaf Badminton team that competed at the Sofia Deaflympics, Bulgaria in 2013.

Born in Motherwell Scotland, Andrea was educated in both deaf and mainstream schools and was a member of the British Deaf Schools Swimming Squad for several years where she was selected for her first Deaflympics in Koln in 1981 at the age of 14.

Andrea continued to swim for the GB Deaf team competing internationally on a regular basis and upon completing her education.  From 1986, she retired from swimming and started playing badminton becoming a member of the British Deaf Badminton team in 1987.

Andrea moved to Leeds in 1990 where she married and raised her 2 children, Matthew and Amanda. She continues to live in Leeds and enjoys keeping fit and has recently started playing Pickleball.  Andrea is a widow, whose husband was the former GB Deaf Footballer, Stephen Hardwick (MBE) who was captain for the GB Team that won Gold in New Zealand 1989. In her professional capacity Andrea currently works for the Crown Prosecution Service.

For Andrea, the thrill of being part of the Deaflympics and winning medals is something she cherishes, and she is proud to be a Deaflympian. She also enjoyed the competitive nature of sport both physically and mentally.

Of her appointment Andrea said: “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to be President of UK Deaf Sport and I look forward to inspiring Deaf athletes and encourage them to achieve their aspirations.”