Paralympic champion Liz Johnson is appointed Chair of the Panathlon Foundation charity, succeeding Andy Sutch who held the post for a decade.
Independent research shows Panathlon’s positive impact reaches deep into schools and communities and drives transformational change for children with disabilities and special needs across England and Wales.
Our annual figures show a stunning 20% increase in participation with a record 62,981 pupils with disabilities and special needs taking part in our sporting programmes in 2022/23.
Arsenal amputee player and former Panathlete, Isaac Addai, returns to volunteer as a leader at one of our competitions in North London – and says he “would not be the player I am today” without the opportunity to compete in sport at school given to him by Panathlon.
Eighty-six pupils from 12 schools had an absolute ball as Panathlon held its first ever competition south of The Valleys.
Panathlon won the ‘Sport for Social Change’ award at the Sports Journalists’ Association’s British Sports Awards at The Brewery in London.
November 2022 was officially Panathlon’s biggest ever month of sporting activity as we staged 142 events in 22 school days across England and Wales.
Panathlon releases its annual participation figures for 2021/22 which show a record 52,476 young people participated in our sporting competitions from 2,078 schools in 758 events across 42 English counties and seven unitary areas of Wales.
Great Britain star Michael McCabe tells us he “may never have become a wheelchair racer” if Panathlon hadn’t given him the opportunity to fall in love with sport” at school.
Panathlon forged a partnership with Greenwood Academies Trust that will open up sporting opportunities to thousands of SEND pupils across its 37 primary, secondary and special academies.
Panathlon joins with multiple partners to serve up tennis sessions for adults with disabilities and special needs at Pocklington Tennis Club in East Yorkshire.
Panathlon records its biggest ever month with an astounding 5081 pupils with disabilities and special needs taking part in our competitions in March.
With lockdowns over, Panathlon participation booms in many areas of the country with our pathway of local, county and regional returning. Cumbria is one of many rapid growth areas.
Our post-Covid ‘blended’ approach of delivering external and in-school activity engages well over 28,000 SEND pupils in its first full term – bucking national trends of declining participation amongst people with disabilities and special needs.
Easing of Covid restrictions enables external competitions to return for the new academic year, running alongside the in-school Virtual programme. A staggering 18,000 pupils enter in the first half-term alone!
New independent research says Panathlon showed ingenuity and agility in swiftly changing its delivery model to get SEND pupils active during the pandemic.
Our end-of-year stats show 45,845 SEND pupils from 583 schools accessed sport and physical activity in 2020/21 despite the ravages of Covid-19 – proof of the astounding success of our Virtual programme.
We build on the success of the in-school ‘virtual’ activity by adding swimming, cricket and tennis to our programme, empowering school staff to adapt and deliver sessions themselves to suit their pupils’ needs.
Panathlon re-launches its multi-skills challenges for students to do in their homes and gardens in order to stay active and engaged during Covid-19 lockdowns and school holidays.
Panathlon and our partners St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation win the ‘Best Partnership with a National Children’s Charity’ prize at The Better Society Awards
Panathlon launches its post-Covid ‘virtual’ in-school competition format, with over 300 schools taking part in its first term
Before the onset of Covid-19 and the closure of all schools, Panathlon was well on course for another record breaking year
Panathlon keeps breaking its own participation records and March 12th saw us stage NINE competitions on a single day
As the partnership between Panathlon and the Jack Petchey Foundation enters its 15th year, funding received from our longest-serving supporter passes the £1million mark
Panathlon delivers its first National Primary Final for Special Schools at the prestigious Stoke Mandeville Stadium
The full extent of Panathlon’s transformational impact on participating schools, competitors and Young Leaders is revealed by new independent research
Panathlon’s impact spread further than ever before in 2018/19 with almost 22,000 young people with disabilities and special needs benefitting from our competitive sport programmes
Panathlon won two prestigious awards in less than 24 hours after collecting accolades from London Sport and the Sport & Recreation Alliance
Panathlon celebrates another landmark moment with the launch of our new competition for Key Stage 3 children, Panathlon Xtend, at the Costello Stadium in Hull
Panathlon celebrated a landmark moment as we staged our first ever competition outside of England, with Ysgol Pendalar of Caernarfon taking the honour of becoming our first ever Welsh Panathlon gold medallists
Panathlon’s first ever National Primary Final brought 17 teams from across the country to the Copper Box Arena in London with Great Barr Academy from Birmingham crowned the inaugural winners
It was another record-breaking year of growth, new milestones and sporting achievements for Panathlon
GB Paralympians Tanni Grey-Thompson, Liz Johnson and Steve Brown attend our showpiece London Final at the Copper Box Arena and marvel at 200 participants coming together from across the capital
Great Arley School from Lancashire win gold at the London 2012 Aquatic Centre in the National U14 Swimming Final– Panathlon’s first ever nationwide pan-disability competition
Four early-season Panathlon Primary Finals up and down the country involved 236 students with disabilities and special needs representing their schools in competitive sport
Our ever-expanding calendar of competitions enabled 13,150 competitors to engage in competitive sport in 2016/17, up from 10,083 last year
Our first ever Post-16 competition saw 43 young people participate, 36 of whom had never competed in a Panathlon event before
The winning teams from London, Essex and Berkshire contend our first ever South of England Multi-Sport Final.
The number of young people with disabilities and SEN taking part in Panathlon events tops 10,000 for the first time in the 2015/16 academic year
Panathlon celebrates its 20th anniversary at an event attended by more than 200 people who contributed to its mission to bring competitive sport to young people with disabilities
Record-breaking numbers for Panathlon once again as we expand our programmes across the country
A star-studded Team Panathlon competed at the London Triathlon, which featured on TV, and another 19 participants did the charity proud at the Excel Centre in London’s Docklands
The London Aquatics Centre, venue for the swimming and diving at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, was equally inspiring for the competitors in Panathlon’s first regional swimming finals
The prestigious Copper Box Arena, venue for London 2012, played host to our London Multi-Sport Final, with Patrons Alex Brooker, Liz Johnson and Steve Brown in attendance
St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation, who have supported Panathlon since 2009, re-commit to Panathlon with a further three years of funding
Two inspiring boys from Hounslow and Hillingdon jointly receive Panathlon’s inaugural Wembley National Stadium Trust Primary-Aged Achievers Award at Wembley Stadium
Panathlon’s 2014 London Multi-Sport Final is our first final to be held at the state-of-the-art Copper Box Arena, venue for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics
Panathlon’s first ever London Football Cup Final is held at Wembley Stadium Powerleague after a tough pre-qualifying competition
Liz Johnson, the triple Paralympic medallist swimmer, joins in the fun in East London as we celebrate passing 500 participants in our swimming programme in 2013
Hannah Olateju is crowned the Outstanding Achiever of 2013 at Panathlon’s annual awards ceremony, presented by triple-Paralympic medallist Liz Johnson at the Olympic Suite at John Lewis Stratford City
We introduce competitive Panathlon activities for primary-aged children through a range of skill-based sports suitable for younger pupils
Panathletes from seven English counties compete at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, birthplace of the Paralympic Games, in a special double event
John Lewis in Stratford City underlines its commitment to supporting the local community in the wake of the London 2012 Games by donating to Panathlon
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announces that Panathlon will be at the centre of a unique sporting event at the new Olympic Stadium ahead of the summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games
Proving it delivers much more than freight, the Chelmsford based Woodland Group became the first corporate sponsor of the Panathlon Challenge.
Panathlon takes place in London, Merseyside, Wiltshire, Kent & Essex, with the use of young Leaders for the first time.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Kate Hoey MP and Jack Petchey CBE attended an awards ceremony in recognition of outstanding individual achievement in Panathlon.
Football Foundation invests in multi-sport Panathlon with the addition of 500 disabled footballers involved, including Learning difficulty, visual impairments and powerchair users.
Panathlon expands to Kent thanks to funding from St. James’s Place Foundation and eight school partnerships benefit from receiving coaching and equipment funds.
Panathlon expands to Essex thanks to new investment from the Jack Petchey Foundation with a visit from Danny Crates, recently returned from the Paralympics in Beijing.
Liz Johnson visits Panathlon for the first time, after winning gold in Beijing a few months previously.
Panathlon involve over 1,000 disabled competitors during the year in London and Merseyside -action here from one of our many competitions with partners at Greenbank Sports Academy.
Panathlon focus all its efforts on competitions for disabled children having ceased delivery for non disabled children
Team Bromley win the first Final ahead of arch rivals Croydon.
Jack Petchey Foundation invests in Panathlon for the first time to expand the number of special schools involved across London.
HRH Prince Edward Earl of Wessex visits Panathlon Final at Crystal Palace and awards medals to the winners.
The first visit to Panathlon by Danny Crates one of our Panathlon trustees to Eastway sports centre, now demolished for the Olympic Park. Danny awarded medals and inspired the competitors a year before he won gold in Athens.
Panathlon disability expands to South London, with events staged at Marjorie McClure school in Bromley, with other teams from Croydon, Greenwich and Kent.
At a launch at Stockwell Park School, in Kate Hoey MP’s constituency, the Chair of Sport England, Sir Trevor Brooking, sees Panathlon in action alongside sponsor Royal & Sun Alliance
Mainstream Panathlon competitions including London, Liverpool, Bristol and Leeds take place with the National Final won by Hackney Free from London held at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.
Tanni Grey-Thompson comes to our Bristol Final, in a year when we expand our disability programme in London, Liverpool & Bristol.
Panathlon (Mainstream) Final at Crystal Palace, involving our county winners from London, Liverpool, Bristol and a guest team from Milan in Italy
Whitefields School in Barnet NW London, hosts our first special school Panathlon with schools from Westminster, Brent and Islington. Sports included, boccia, table cricket, polybat and athletics.
Hackney Free School wins the London Final for the first time, beating Grey Court School from Richmond, Ashburton School from Croydon and Abbs Cross from Havering.
Panathlon expands to involve 12 schools in Liverpool, with further investment from sponsor Royal & SunAlliance and Sportsmatch. Broadgreen School are our first Champions.
The first ever Panathlon is held at Featherstone High School in Ealing. Across London there are 32 Schools involved competing in 9 Sports; Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Chess, Cycling, Football, Netball, Orienteering, and Table Tennis.
