General News
The face of 2012
Paralympian, television presenter, actor; Ade Adepitan is firmly established as one of the country's most recognisable disabled people. He talks to Paul Carter about his life, from his early days growing up in the East End of London, through to being the figurehead for Channel 4's groundbreaking coverage of the London Paralympics in 2012
Determination is a word carefully used by disabled people, conjuring, as it sometimes does, patronising stereotypes and tales of triumph over tragedy. However, when speaking to Ade Adepitan, it is a word that could not be more apt.
The former Great Britain wheelchair basketball player turned actor and television presenter is set to cement his position as one of the countryโs most recognisable disabled people through Channel 4โs coverage of the Paralympics.
However, his rise to fame was not without its setbacks, requiring plenty of commitment and resolve along the way.
Originally born in Lagos, Nigeria, Ade came to Britain aged three, settling with his parents in east London.
He describes growing up as a black, disabled child in the East End in the 70s and 80s as "an experience".
"I didnโt fit the norm," he explains. "Most of my mates at school were mods and listened to Madness and were dressed in pork pie hats and long coats and stuff like that. I came in with pink chequered flares and a frilly shirt and a massive afro and demanded if I could be allowed to play football."
This early passion for sport would be something that would not only help him to overcome initial prejudices, but that would also go on to shape the rest of his life.
"When I first asked to play football they said no, they werenโt having it, but I convinced them. I went in goal and made this miraculous save โ I had great hand eye co-ordination and that immediately changed a lot of things.
"The fact that I was black, the fact that I was disabled, all of that just totally went out of the window. Everyone focused on the fact that the kid with the bad legs was an amazing goalkeeper. I think that gave me the confidence to really enjoy school and I became quite a cocky, confident kid simply because of sport and from being the last player to be picked to being one of the first to be picked."
Ultimately, it would prove to be wheelchair basketball and not football that would have the greatest impact on his future, eventually taking him to two Paralympic Games and culminating in a bronze medal in Athens in 2004.
As a schoolboy, Ade was spotted by two physios working with a junior basketball team in London, who approached him to take up the sport.
He describes his initial reaction to the suggestion as "pretty hostile".
"I wasnโt really interested in it at all," he explains.
"I had this really crazy, skewed, ignorant view of disability. I didnโt consider myself as being disabled, because I was around able-bodied kids. Iโd never seen any disabled kids. Fortunately for me the two physios came to my school and convinced me to go to Stoke Mandeville to watch the Junior Games.
"I went there, and was initially overwhelmed by seeing so many people with disabilities. Then I saw some of the guys from the GB wheelchair basketball team and I was blown away by their abilities, blown away by the talent. When I saw these guys they were the total opposite of what I expected to see โ they were athletes, they had fantastic physiques."
At the tender age of 18, Ade tried unsuccessfully to be selected for the national squad, something that only seemed to drive him on further to become a success.
At 20, he was offered a professional contract to play for Real Zaragoza in Spain, where he spent two years.
Despite this obvious early promise, it would be eight years before Ade pulled on a GB vest, something which he remains philosophical about.
"The journey to becoming a Paralympian made me who I am today. It changed me, it made me more mature, it made me take more responsibility for who I am and become a much stronger person, because it was a tough journey.
"In a way, Iโm disappointed that I didnโt get selected when I was 18, and Iโm disappointed that I didnโt get selected for Atlanta when I was 22, but Iโm also happy because those disappointments, those setbacks, made me a stronger, more determined person and by the time I was 26 and got selected for the Sydney Paralympics โ first of all it was a huge relief, secondly it was the most amazing moment of my life.
"I wish I could find that letter, if I could find it I would treasure it and I would frame it up on the wall because that letter represented 12 years of pain, of hard work and dreaming of being an elite athlete. It was the best moment. Even talking about it now makes me swell with pride."
Despite the obvious joy, Sydney was to ultimately be tinged with disappointment. GB lost the bronze medal with the last shot of the game in the final second snatching victory for the USA by just one point.
"The changing room was devastation," he says. "Iโve never seen so many grown men in tears. It was absolutely awful that day, and I think it took us the best part of two years to recover."
Fortunately, recover they did. Following a silver medal at the world championships, GB went on to the Athens Games in 2004 to gain revenge over the USA who had so cruelly broken their hearts in Sydney by beating them to the bronze medal.
You only have to hear Ade speak about the Paralympics to get a feeling of how important they have been in his life. With that in mind, what does he feel about the Paralympics coming to London in 2012?
"I think itโs a fantastic opportunity. Itโs very easy for me to sit here and wax lyrical about the Paralympics and how big an event it is but until you actually experience it, until the British public experience it โ you wonโt know.
"A lot of people talk about the cost, but to quantify it, think of the inspiration itโs going to give. Imagine youโre a young kid being taken by your mother or father to watch our guys win countless medals in the Paralympics and Olympics โ imagine what that feeling is going to be like, youโll never forget that for the rest of your life."
For Ade in particular, the Paralympics in 2012 will continue to be a big part of his life. He is one of the main faces of Channel 4โs groundbreaking coverage, including presenting a Saturday magazine programme called That Paralympics Show over the next two years in the run-up to the Games.
He explains: "To have another TV channel actually bid and decide to plough millions into the coverage and increase the profile of the Paralympics I think is huge. I think itโs a landmark moment. I think itโs a moment weโll all look back on in 20 or 30 years and say this is the moment where the Paralympics really came of age."
As well as presenting work for Channel 4, Ade is continuing to stay involved in sport at a high level and is currently playing competitive wheelchair tennis, and it remains a possibility that he could actually compete for GB in London in 2012.
With his wide range of television appearances, there is no doubt that viewers will be seeing more of Ade as London 2012 approaches. Asked whether he is comfortable being a role model to others, he is philosophical.
"Kids are going to see me and see what I do and theyโre going to want to emulate me and thatโs fine. The one thing Iโll say is that Iโm a human being, Iโm not perfect, Iโm far from perfect. Iโve got my flaws and weaknesses but I just try and live the life that I think is right and hopefully set a good example to other people. Disabled kids or not."
Additional Information
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain
Website: http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/living/features/the-face-of-2012
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Source: Email from: Frank Mulcahy
When: 30/9/2010
