“Wheelchair basketball has given me a group of lifelong friends and a social circle and an avenue for me to exercise and be healthy and all those things should be available to all disabled people"

Access Sport welcomes two-time Paralympic bronze medal winner, Gaz Choudhry MBE, as an Ambassador. 

Working together we hope to change community sport for good so everyone can play the sport they love in a fun, inclusive and accessible environment.

At just 10 years old, Gaz Choudhry had his right leg amputated due to osteosarcoma bone cancer; two years later, the keen sportsperson’s life changed after being introduced to wheelchair basketball.

Gaz said:

“I got into wheelchair basketball when I was 12, I fell in love with it immediately. I remember getting in a basketball wheelchair and it was so freeing. I went along to a local club and was so inspired by players such as Ade Adepitan, and I never looked back.”

Gaz has been integral to the GB Men’s Squad since his debut at the 2009 BT Paralympic World Cup, winning four European titles, a World title and two Paralympic bronze medals.

Helen Rowbotham, CEO, said:

“It is fantastic to have Gaz onboard! We have been working together for the last few months, so we are excited to officially welcome him as our newest Ambassador. Gaz’s experience as an elite-level athlete, alongside his passion for inclusion, means he is perfectly positioned to support our vision. Having recently expanded our Changing Sports Basketball programme, we also look forward to tapping into Gaz’s basketball expertise to make the sport more accessible for disadvantaged and disabled young people.”

Like us, Gaz is also passionate about highlighting the sometimes-overlooked benefits of community sport.

“Wheelchair basketball has given me a group of lifelong friends and a social circle and an avenue for me to exercise and be healthy and all those things should be available to all disabled people, whether they just want to play any sport a couple of times a week, or have Paralympic aspirations.”

In recent years, Gaz has also followed his passion for acting. Featuring alongside Kit Harington, Daveed Diggs, Sienna Miller and Meryl Streep, Gaz’s debut came in Apple TV’s Extrapolations in 2023. Gaz wants to use this newfound platform to raise awareness around disability inclusion and support causes he’s passionate about.

Joining forces with inspirational individuals is crucial in our ongoing mission to make inclusion the norm in community sport, so a big thank you to Gaz for offering to come on board.

To meet our other Ambassadors please click the link below:
Access Sport Ambassadors

To find out more about Access Sport’s work within basketball, please click the link below:
Changing Sports, Basketball