Blind skiing ace Kevin Alderton could be forced to give up the sport he loves after heavy-handed officials smashed his helmet and wrecked his attempts to whip up vital sponsorship for the 2010 Paralympic Games.
Double world record-breaking ski star Kevin, 35, was handing out leaflets in a bid to secure corporate sponsorship in the City of London on Thursday when security officials moved in.
They confiscated hundreds of the handouts and knocked his ski helmet out of his hands – smashing its visor – and banned him from continuing his efforts.
Former-Grenadier Guard Kevin said: “I couldn’t believe it to be honest. They said I had to have a permit to hand out leaflets. All I was trying to do was raise a bit of awareness.
“They had spotted me, so when I sat down to have a cup of coffee the guard came over and ordered me to stop. When they took the leaflets off me my helmet fell out of my hand and the visor was smashed.
“Now I’ll have to send it back to Switzerland to be fixed, which will cost me £60. I’m gutted.”
Kevin lost all but four per cent of his vision after a vicious street attack by a gang of thugs nine years ago.
He had been walking in London at night when he saw a woman being set upon. He bravely intervened but paid a high price as his assailants gouged his eyes.
Kevin smashed the blind ski record for both indoors and out last year – hitting speeds of more than 100mph – and is a former BBC South East Disabled Sports Personality of the Year.
He is currently part of the speed ski GB team for the FIS World Cup Speed Skiing competition and the British Adaptive Ski team for alpine events.
But after two hoped-for sponsors pulled out at the last minute earlier this month – forcing him out of a vital training camp in the Alps – he decided to take “drastic action” and headed to London’s business centre in a desperate bid to revive his dreams of taking part in the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games in Canada.
Kevin said: “I can handle failure due to a lack of ability, but I will not accept failure due to a lack of backing.
“I’ve not come this far, to give up quite that easily – I will succeed and I will get that medal in 2010, whatever it takes.”
POSTED: 26/01/2007 14:14:26
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