East London Star to Compete in Paris Paralympics
University of East London student and East London Phoenix player Jodie Waite has been called up to represent ParalympicsGB in wheelchair basketball in Paris next month.
Ms Waite said it was a dream come true to be named in the squad, having worked towards the goal for more than a decade.
She said,
I started playing able-bodied basketball when I was seven years old with the goal of one day playing in the Olympics. After I became paralysed, I realised that my goal was still possible once I started playing wheelchair basketball. So, even though I have only been playing wheelchair basketball for four years, it took a lot more than that to get selected for the 2024 Paralympic Games.”
The 19-year-old’s Paralympic debut will also mark her first start for the senior team. She previously competed as a junior player at the U25 World Championships in Thailand last year where the squad claimed silver.
Originally from Limerick, Ireland, Ms Waite has been named Irish Wheelchair Basketball Women’s Player of the Year three consecutive times (2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23). She signed with the East London Phoenix for the 2021/22 season of the Women’s Premier League and began her academic studies at UEL last year, working towards a BSc degree in Sport, Physical Education and Development.
She said, “[Both the East London Phoenix and UEL] have been able to give me court, gym, and off-court support that has helped me in my journey.”
Joining her on the just-announced squad is Phoenix teammate Amy Conroy – already a three-time Paralympian having previously competed in London, Rio, and Tokyo.
Wheelchair basketball has been a fixture at UEL for a decade, with a club created in 2014 that went on to win the National Championship in 2017. Since 2021, UEL has been home to East London Phoenix and is one of four universities to run a British Wheelchair Basketball Women’s Premier League franchise.
Past UEL Paralympians have included shot put athlete Vanessa Wallace, wheelchair basketball player Ann Wild OBE, and powerlifter Ali Jawad, who took home a silver medal at Rio 2016.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games run from 28 August to 8 September. Wheelchair basketball events run daily throughout the Games schedule with the women’s final on 8 September.