He has been a champion of wheelchair Sports in Drogheda, nationally and internationally for decades and this week Jimmy Gradwell was awarded the highest honour possible in the Paralympics world, the Paralympic Order.
The former Paralympics Ireland President received the highest honour a person connected with the Irish Paralympic Movement may achieve at the Paralympics Ireland Paris 2024 Ball held recently in the RDS.
During Jimmy’s illustrious sporting career he represented Ireland in Bowls and Table Tennis. Winning many national and international titles, he became World Champion in World Bowls and won European Bronze in Team Event Table Tennis with Ronan Rooney.
He also attended five Paralympic Games in a variety of capacities including two as President of Paralympics Ireland.
At the1988 Seoul Paralympic Games, Jimmy had been selected to represent Ireland but his event was pulled from the schedule just four weeks before the games began.
This did not deter him from being involved in sport and with great encouragement from Anne Ebbs to stay involved, Jimmy was one of the first people to work with the Paralympic Council of Ireland when it was established in 1987 and went on to serve as President of Paralympics Ireland from 2009 to 2017.
