UK Deaf Sport (UKDS) and the British Kickboxing Council (BKC) are delighted to announce that they will be working in partnership over the next two years to support more deaf people to have the opportunities to engage with, try and stay in the sport. The two organisations will focus on interventions to increase participation and develop more inclusion opportunities for deaf children, young people and adults.
UK Deaf Sport is a Sport England funded UK wide organisation, dedicated to getting every Deaf person active and inspired by physical activity and sport. The British Kickboxing Council exists to encourage and support individuals and communities to experience the benefits of the sport. Together their partnership will engage Kickboxing within deaf communities across UK.
Through this exciting partnership we will identify opportunities to support our workforce of coaches, referees and officials through guidance and deaf awareness training and support. We will look to increase the number of opportunities for deaf children, young people and adults, engaging with existing deaf athletes already participating in kickboxing to inspire and encourage others.
Valerie Copenhagen, UK Deaf Sport Head of Participation said:
“We are extremely pleased to be joining forces with the British Kickboxing Council for the next two years and know that this partnership will bring exciting opportunities and benefits to members of the Deaf community. We know that participation rates amongst Deaf people in sport are one of the lowest across all disability groups so this partnership will only seek to encourage, support and grow these rates.
“There are exciting times ahead and we would like to thank Sport England for their continued support of UK Deaf Sport’s work around the Disability agenda in sport and physical activity across England.”
David Jenkins, BKC Secretary said:
“We are absolutely delighted to have formed this partnership with UK Deaf Sport. Their knowledge and expertise will be invaluable in helping us to achieve our goal of making Kickboxing a more deaf friendly sport. We are excited to be bringing the amazing benefits of Kickboxing to even more people around the UK and cannot wait to see how much of an impact this relationship will have on the Kickboxing landscape.
“The resources and training we aim to create will lay the foundation for making our already inclusive and diverse sport that much more accessible, not just at a participation level, but for the next generation of coaches, athletes and officials.”
