Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson | 'Sport has the Power to Change the World'

Giving The Game Away

Tanni Grey-Thompson was born with spina bifida and subsequently became paralysed at the age of 7. Six years later, inspired by Paralympic legend Chris Hallam, Tanni began wheelchair racing and instantly fell in love with the sport. Tanni had won her first race within three years of starting, and just two years after that, Tanni won the London Wheelchair Marathon. This was the first in a long list of competitive wheelchair successes, and a testament to the mental strength required to overcome hardship and to compete at the very highest level of sport.

At the age of just 19, Tanni competed at the Seoul Paralympic Games and took bronze for the 200m. From that point onwards, having had a taste for the Games and the intense training process it demands, Tanni set her sights on achieving more success; which she certainly did.

In 1992 at the Barcelona Games, Tanni elevated herself to the world sporting elite with four gold medals, a feat she would subsequently repeat in true elite fashion at the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996. The Barcelona olympics were especially important though for Tanni as it marked a change in coverage by the media. Helen Rollason, one of the main broadcasters in the UK at the time, gave greater coverage to the Paralympics than there had been previously.

This made things more emotional when in 2000, Tanni won the Helen Rollason award at Sports Personality of the Year award. Somewhat disappointingly though, the BBC had failed to provide a ramp up to the awards stage, denying Tanni the deserved opportunity to celebrate her award at what is one of the biggest nights in the British sporting calendar. In typical fashion, Tanni reframed the mistake as an opportunity to suggest a number of changes in the BBC, and indeed across the country, with regards to their attitudes towards disability rights.

Tanni retired from sport in 2007, ending her career with 30 World Records, 11 gold medals and 6 London Marathon wins. Since retiring, Tanni has gone on to become Chancellor of Northumbria University, and in 2010, became an Independent Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. As a working peer, Tanni uses her experience and knowledge during debates in the House and has spoken on a range of issues including welfare reform, disability rights and sport.

To share over an hour with Tanni was an incredible honour and a real privilege. Tanni spoke to us about her belief that hardship is crucial in allowing us to achieve our full potential, that the hardest part of our journey is often getting started and the opportunity we all have in our own lives to make real, long-lasting change for others.