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Being told you're an "injury risk" when your disability was simply never understood. Walking around the Paralympic Village and counting the people who look like you on one hand. These are not abstract barriers, they are the lived reality of navigating sport as a Black disabled athlete in Britain, where race, equity, and fairness are still far from guaranteed.
In this episode of Equity in Action, Zoiey Smale, Disability, Access, and Inclusion Consultant and Sports Presenter, is joined by Didi Okoh - bronze medal-winning Paralympian in the T63 100m at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and Sporting Equals Ambassador. Diagnosed with Lymphedema after years of misunderstanding and dismissed by her club as injury-prone, Didi's route into para-athletics was anything but straightforward. Hers is a story of extraordinary self-belief in the face of systems not built with diversity, inclusion, or fairness in mind.
Together, Zoiey and Didi offer hard-won insights for athletes, coaches, parents, and governing bodies committed to advancing EDI across sport and physical activity:
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See the athlete, not the inspiration: Respect para-athletes as the elite competitors they are. Framing matters for who feels welcome and who feels seen.
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Don't let anyone push you out: Equality in sport means letting people be the judge of what they can and cannot do. Clubs that dismiss disabled young people as risks are losing extraordinary talent.
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Reform starts at the grassroots: Underrepresentation begins early. More connection between hospitals, charities, and governing bodies could open the pipeline. Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not.
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Make space for vulnerability: Real inclusion means making room for every part of a person's identity, regardless of race or disability, not just the parts that are easy to celebrate.
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Know when to step back: Didi took a six-week break in a Paralympic year. It was the decision that got her to Paris.
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Sporting Equals is a leading UK charity promoting race equality and equity in sport and physical activity, creating a landscape where ethnically diverse communities feel included, represented, and able to thrive.
