Lane begins paralympic drive for 2012

Published on Friday 19 September 2008 09:51

CHEF DE MISSION Phil Lane is ready to begin a major recruitment drive to build on the success of Britain's Paralympians in Beijing.

The British team returned home yesterday weighed down by their 102-medal haul, a total that included 42 golds, after finishing second in the final table. Having surpassed all expectations, Lane insists attention must now be directed to uncovering the stars of London in four years' time.

"Attracting new faces into the sport is particularly important because we need a new generation to push these guys on," he said.

"I'm sure our medal winners will want to defend their titles in London but like all sportsmen and women, a challenge from behind makes them try even harder.

"Recruitment is the key issue and it's a difficult area for us. Young talent is now dispersed in schools across the country and it's not as easy to identify them as it used to be. There are important moves afoot to begin to identify that talent."

Funding is also a key issue that tops the agenda.

"You can never have enough investment but our guys over the years have learnt how to be successful, even when money was tighter than it is today," Lane explained.