‘Shame’ that Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson had to ‘crawl’ from the train – Chief ParalympicsGB

Paralympics chef de mission Penny Briscoe said it was an “absolute disgrace” that 11-time Paralympic gold medalist Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson was forced to crawl out of a train.

The former wheelchair racer arrived in London’s King’s Cross on a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train on Monday evening, but there was no-one to help her. Baroness Grey-Thompson had booked assistance to help her catch the 7.15pm train from Leeds but missed it and took the 7.45pm train instead.

She says she “had a contract” and should have been helped off the train, but after 20 minutes no one came.

“So I decided I was going to crawl out of the train,” the 55-year-old told the BBC.

She continues: “The intention was that the trains would be free on January 1, 2020. It’s tiring. I was really angry last night. I can almost do it (get off the train), but there are many other disabled people who can’t and would be stuck until who knows when. That’s not right in this day and age.”

Speaking from the ParalympicsGB home in Paris, Briscoe said: “It is the everyday experience of people with disabilities. It’s just not reported.

“As a disabled person you should be able to get on and off the train and go about your daily life, but the reality is much more difficult than that. We, as ParalympicsGB, try to inspire a better world for disabled people. We want change and our athletes want change. There is still so much to do, and we cannot take our foot off the pedal when it comes to demanding that change and creating a more just society.”

An LNER spokesperson told the BBC it investigated the incident and was “sorry to understand there was a problem”.

It is the first time Paris has hosted a Paralympic Games and Briscoe has said the city is “moving towards accessibility”.

“We know that their bus services are 100 percent accessible,” she added. “The fleet of buses they have deployed for the athletes has six accessible wheelchair spaces on each bus. We know that Paris has become more accessible thanks to the Games. Their subway system is a work in progress.

“The number of accessible bathrooms in Paris hotels is still a problem, especially older hotels. There are one or two per hotel and that is not enough if you welcome disabled athletes or spectators in the area. It is a global accessibility challenge. We had it in Tokyo.

“The goal of Paris in terms of legacy is to use the Games to create a more accessible society for Parisians and we need to support them on that journey, that doesn’t happen overnight.”

Baroness Grey-Thompson won a total of 16 Paralympic medals in the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 meters and 4×100 meters between 1988 and 2004. She is the fourth most decorated athlete of all time at the Paralympic Games.

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(Boris Streubel/Getty Images for Laureus)