The rules on Down's syndrome swimmers at the Paralympics must change, according to Swimming coach Lee Portingale.
Portingale coaches Britain's triple world champion Mark Evens, who won his world titles at the Down Syndrome International Swimming Organisation. At present there is no designated Paralympic category for swimmers with Down's syndrome, meaning they have to compete as intellectual disadvantaged athletes. This disregards their physical disabilities and Portingale called for the rules to be rectified.
"As a Down's syndrome swimmer he's probably the best swimmer in the world that nobody's ever heard of," said Portingale of Evens, as reported by ITV. "[The rules] should be rectified. Down's syndrome athletes in this country are some of the best in the world, but they never get the chance to compete at the Paralympic stage, they don't get to compete."
