Clare Cunningham
Clare is a former Paralympian competing in Swimming and Triathlon, now working for ParalympicsGB as Head of Athlete Services.
Clare was a former Paralympic swimmer competing at both the 1992 and 1996 Paralympic games, winning one gold and four silver medals across 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke and relay events. Clare retired after the 1996 Games and proceeded to study English Literature at the University of St Andrews University, graduating in 2000.
Following her initial studies, Clare became a chartered accountant at Deloitte for nearly 15 years. Towards the end of this 15 years, Clare took up triathlon and landed herself a place on the world class programme, leading her to take a sabbatical from her work in 2014 to prepare for Rio Paralympics in 2016. Clare relocated to Loughborough choosing to pursue a career in sport.
Whilst preparing and training for Rio 2016, Clare took an online college conversion course through Manchester Metropolitan University. At Rio 2016, Clare made her return to Paralympic competition and finished seventh in the women’s PT4 event as triathlon made its Games debut.
In 2017, Clare completed a masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Loughborough University before beginning her journey within the British Paralympic Association in 2018. Clare has now been with the BPA for nearly 6 years and progressed from Athlete Services Manager to the Head of Athlete Services.
Clare’s responsibilities within her role as Athletes Services Manager were wide and varied, including but not limited to, athlete education and preparation for the Games, providing support for family and friends of athletes, athlete commission, as well as ensuring the correct measures are in place for anti-doping, safeguarding & welfare of athletes. Clare’s current position as Head of Athlete Services still encompasses all these areas as well as new responsibilities surrounding classification, support to the commercial team and looking to develop an alumni community by reconnecting with retired athletes/Paralympians.
Reflecting on why she chose the path she did, Clare said…
I wanted to move into the high-performance sport space because I felt as an athlete myself, and my time at Deloitte, I had a really good skill set to make an impact and make a difference.
Clare’s role at BPA allows her to work across all para sports as well as work with system partners (UK Sport, UKSI, British Elite Athletes Association etc.) and safeguarding organisations.
Having had that personal athlete experience, people value that side that I can bring alongside my more professional side… I understand what athletes are going through in order to perform at their best.
Regarding future plans, Clare expressed that more still can be done to provide specific support to para athletes, including funding and recognition of para athletes also being world-class athletes.
Clare uses her role to be able to bang the drum for Para sport to help influence change and says that is what keeps her motivated in this space. She is committed to staying in the para sport space, particularly focusing on the Paris 2024 Games this summer and looking to take on a more leadership role within the system after having undertaken a leadership course with UK Sport. Clare aims to remain a strong advocate for Para sport, committed to influencing change.
Clare was asked to summarise her experience within Para sport…
Life changing! I had an opportunity to represent my country at the pinnacle of sport and off the back of that I am now doing a role in sport that I love. This is something that has lived with me for my whole life.
It was great to chat to you, Clare, and hear all about your journey within para sport as both an athlete and within ParalympicsGB. All the best in the lead up to Paris 2024.