Hi,
new to this forum,infact new to forum chat full stop.
I have cf and have been a cyclist for 34 yrs.I’ve done the lot,bmx,road,mtb etc.
I have always wanted to compete but with Cystic Fibrosis i’m at an obvious disadvantage.
Anyways, after this years Paralympics i decided to contact British Cycling to ask if i could be pointed in the right direction for disabled competition.I had a response that took me back a bit,in short NO.Reason-Cystic Fibrosis isn’t included in accepted disabilities to qualifiy etc
I wondered why…first thought is that CF is still misunderstood and still under passive ignorance (do you know what it is ?).
Is this the case,how many reading this are thinking whats CF ?
Perhaps after checking out what CF is you could come up with reasons why it might not be included in the Paralympic Cats ?
Do you think it should be included,in which case do you think i have a case in pursuing this ?

My aim really is to change opinion and eventually get CF included…ideally to see a medal won by somebody with CF.If anybody has any ideas or useful info/contacts i’d appreciate it.. so far i’ve had no response from the NPC or IPC.

Dan
Riding with CF4CF
ps. selling my orange blood on ebay (ends 6.08pm tonight) to help forward above..poss event,t.v eventual goals.Maybe (have ideas) for bike based charity..also getting too ill to ride it.

It’s a tricky one I think because every person’s CF is at different stages of management I guess. I have a mate with CF and she is faster than me! (That’s no so hard though).

I can understand your frustrations though.

I was hoping to enter too. But they didn’t accept being fat, crap and old as a disability. Go figure, I guess thats life.

Why not do something then….i have ideas.A friend even suggested on mass e-mails to IPC NPC.
Sure it should be included,its just perhaps not a fashionable disability?
Most people with cf have f 508 mutation ,so i’m sure even with diff ..ah mate arrived.Yeah,as i was saying,even with diff stages of management it shouldn’t be that diff to put mutation type in a cat that exists ??The only minor problem the cf trust has is the risk of cross infection…again only minimal probs.Good place to be..if there were that many cf sufferers in the paralympics -job done!
Look ms is included as is learning disabilities..how do they cat those?

could you not fake something like a Spanish wheelchair basketballer ?

I think CF is reasonably well known these days but I don’t know the answer as to why it is not accepted in the paralympics. Personally I think it should if it isn’t. Having done a quick google it seems that the ‘classification’ is because CF is an ‘illness’ not a ‘disability’. I’m not entirely sure what impact one or the other classification has for a person, I have PCD and am registered disabled and receive DLA but I would call my condition an illness or disease rather than a disability.

Would having lots of people with CF in the same place at the same time not be pretty dangerous for their health?

It’s nothing to do with British cycling you need the disability sports council to give you a rating.

If the cf trust recomends ” that people with CF do not come into close contact with others with Cystic Fibrosis.”
I cant see anyone prepared to risk a race meet. Time trial possibly?

So,Mr Smith..how? Is that the BC Mr Smith ? I wasn’t having a pop at Bc,just saddened as to the over all situation.
Bigdean..lots of disabilities have their own unique probs.If by some miracle Cf gets a rating and we have mass influx of talented cf sports persons, all wanting to say run the 1500m that would an issue.I doubt there would be huge numbers though and there are lots of events,even within cycling..i don’t see a major issue and it could be worked through.
Best way i have had Cf explained is that it is a disability of the internal organs.I see it as that..the diseased lungs,liver inc probs with pancreas are as a result of a faulty gene.Without getting too complex this fault means the organs don’t/can’t work as they should…they are disabled.
Cf gets the rough end i feel..we still have to pay for our scripts yet we’re poss’ the most medicated people on earth.I have the joy of knowing though that when (almost cert in all cf persons )i become diabetic i can have free meds…eeh?

Quite a lot of ilnnesses/diabilities aren’t in the Paralympics for various reasons – deafness being the most obvious, they have their own games.

Maybe you need to try and round up some more CF affected athletes and organise some events to get the ball rolling.

Met my wife on a charity walk up Ben Nevis for CF……

Hi,
Yeah,thought that myself. Alas thats where the infection risk would arise. I think it has to led by the CF Trust, like the on-going battle for free scripts.

I’m finalising an idea I’ve had for a while and once I’m happy with it then I will be putting it to the Trust. It would involve a CF sports person going head to head with a similarly aged non cf/disabled sports person. With say a t.t over 20 miles…run through the build up in training and how the CF body works in comparison to a person without CF. gathering data (scientific study if you like. Probably a long way off but friends who are Drs like it..would hope to get a doc or similar on TV… .As I say a ways off.

While being deaf is disabling it wouldn’t really minimise your ability to compete at top level athletics or similar in terms of compromise to aerobic or biomechanical function. I’d argue that CF individuals stand zero chance at fair competition in top end sport,less it be atypical. The body is too disadvantaged even in really well sufferers ie, salt loss, lactate clearance, inability to absorb certain foods properly,let alone even minimal lung disease/scarring.

Is the Paralympics for people with a disability or not? It doesn’t matter if its a congenital/genetic condition, disease, bio-mechanical dysfunction (as before or caused by trauma). If it disables you, you live with a disability and stand no chance at fair competition with unaffected people.

Thanks for the charity walk boss.

Thanks for the wife!

So,Mr Smith..how? Is that the BC Mr Smith ? I wasn’t having a pop at Bc,just saddened as to the over all situation.

I’m nothing to do with BC ( apart from being a member) its just that it’s the down to the DSC to assess disability. Any info on a rating or asking for inclusion should be directed at them and not BC.

Oh,o.k…different person,sorry.
I’m not directing it at the BC .Its how i found out Cf wasn’t included in disability sports.I e-mailed Paul West and he was very helpful.
He put me on the right track. I’ve written to the DSC and as yet no response ?
I think my best bet will be to gee up the CF Trust and try encourage them to move forward on this.If anybody reading has CF or mates with CF then drop them a mail…the trust that is.
In the mean time i’ll bash away at the above idea and try get some backing for it.
If anybody is interested in a 17 ” 2011 Orange blood…sadly didn’t sell on ebay (got messed about).