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In Focus: Ade Adepitan

Proving versatility from sports star to TV personality

I hope to see disability sport mentioned more in the mainstream, in the papers, on TV.
— Ade Adepitan
Robert Seatter

Robert Seatter

Head of ±«Óãtv History
Ade Adepitan: Paralympic basketball champion

TV presenter and wheelchair basketball player Ade Adepitan was born in Lagos in Nigeria where, as a child, he lost the use of his left leg after contracting polio. At the age of three, Adepitan and his mother moved to the United Kingdom to join his father in East London.

Adepitan describes how his basketball career was an initial matter of happenstance in East London: “I was spotted by two physios from a disabled school nearby that was affiliated to a sports centre… as I was racing through the streets, being pushed by my mates in a Tesco shopping trolley!â€

Adepitan went on to be a member of Team GB that won bronze at the 2004 Summer Paralympics and gold at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup.

He moved from sports player to commentator during the London 2012 Paralympic Games, when he became one of the main presenters for Channel 4. He also co-presented That Paralympic Show with Rick Edwards and became a passionate advocate for disability sport.

2002 ±«Óãtv One Hip Hop Ident: wheelchair basketball player Ade Adepitan with two others players on basketball court
Ade Adepitan appeared in ±«Óãtv One Hip Hop ident in 2002

For the ±«Óãtv, he was very visible early on – as one of three wheelchair basketball players featured in the 2002 ±«Óãtv One ident Hip-Hop. He then went on to co-present C±«Óãtv’s Xchange, as well as starring as wheelchair basketball coach, "Baggy Awolowo", in the C±«Óãtv drama series Desperados.

In 2005, ±«Óãtv Two’s Beyond Boundaries saw Adepitan take him on the trek of a lifetime across the rainforests, deserts, rivers and mountains of Nicaragua. Following presenting slots with Channel 4, he returned to the ±«Óãtv in 2014 as one of the presenters of The Travel Show, and then America's Busiest City alongside Anita Rani and Ant Anstead. He also anchored the 2016 Invictus Games for the ±«Óãtv.

In 2005, Ade was awarded an MBE for services to disability sport. 

I'd like many more disability sports clubs to spring up around the UK and lots more disabled people feeling confident about who they are.
— Ade Adepitan

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