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Inclusive Skating British Open Achieve Milestone Moment
with Sport Excel and Mayoral Recognition
Milton Keynes, 16 April 2026
The Inclusive Skating British Open concluded on a high following two truly inspiring days of competition at Planet Ice Milton Keynes. The event brought together skaters, coaches, families, and carers from across the UK in a powerful celebration of inclusivity, talent, and determination.
The championships proudly showcased the core values of the sport—accessibility, community, and excellence—within a warm, welcoming, and supportive environment. This year’s event was particularly significant, marking a groundbreaking, history-making milestone as the first-ever Inclusive Skating Championships delivered in partnership with Sport Excel. This landmark collaboration represents a major step forward in broadening opportunities within the sport and accelerating progress towards Paralympic inclusion for skating disciplines.
By so doing the event brought together two of the key organisations delivering opportunities for skaters with an intellectual challenge or autism. Sport Excel UK is part of VIRTUS which is the leading high-performance sports organisation for athletes with intellectual impairments and Special Olympics GB is part of Special Olympics which is a global inclusion movement using sport at a recreational level, health, education and leadership programs to empower people with intellectual disabilities. Inclusive Skating provides a development pathway from grassroots to elite level across all challenges and age and has hosted the Special Olympics GB National Skating competitions since 2012. Adding the high-performance pathway provided by Sport Excel UK and VIRTUS highlights the excellence of the inclusive skaters as athletes.
We were especially delighted to welcome Tracey McCillen, CEO of Sport Excel, whose presence highlighted the importance and impact of this pioneering partnership. Inclusive Skating extends its sincere thanks to the team at Planet Ice Milton Keynes for hosting the event and delivering such a seamless and professional experience for all involved. Appreciation is also extended to the judges and volunteers, whose expertise, commitment, and generosity of time were integral to the championships’ success.
Above all, heartfelt congratulations go to every participating skater. Their passion, courage, and achievements not only defined the competition but created an unforgettable and deeply inspiring atmosphere throughout the event. The championships were further elevated by a special visit from the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Councillor James Lancaster. His attendance was a meaningful recognition of the importance of inclusive sport and a celebration of the incredible accomplishments of everyone involved.
This year’s championships mark an exciting chapter in the continued growth of Inclusive Skating in the UK—building momentum, inspiring future participation, and supporting athletes at every level as the sport continues to break new ground.
Notes to editors
Contact
Margarita Sweeney-Baird Founder and Board Chair of Inclusive Skating
+44-(0)7813 993 237 margarita@inclusiveskating.org
Inclusive Skating is a world-recognised charity that provides events, activities, educational resources, training and championship events for skaters with additional needs. The goal of this global project is to create training and competition pathways for skaters with any form of disability. Our goal is to develop a programme that will include all skaters with an impairment and will allow them to participate in all competitions and events on an equal basis. www.inclusiveskating.org
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