Ruairi Bailey: ‘I love karate and being part of a team, it’s changed my life’
Athlete Ruairi Bailey is relishing the wonderful adventure karate is taking him on in his life, writes
THE PHOTO
THE COMPETITOR
“I’m 26 years old and I’m doing karate for six years. Last weekend went very well, I really enjoyed it. It was great to have my parents there with me and make them proud.
I love karate and being part of a team, it’s changed my life. Another reason I’m dedicated to it because it helps hugely with my disability and my balance.
“We’re always getting better, next for me is the black belt. No-one is on their own in the team, we’re all doing it together because we all know it’s about ability not disability.
“Brian (Carroll) is a fantastic coach, he helps us out so much and we get along very well with him. Budapest (World Championships) was the first time I went abroad and I might be going to Belgium next year, it’s great to go away with the team like that.”
THE COACH
“Ruairi is a fantastic athlete, he’s been training with me for six years and has made fantastic strides. He comes from Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Ireland and went from competing locally six years ago to building his way up the ranks and made his international debut in 2016 year at the Irish International Open.
“Ruairi won a silver medal earlier this year at the Inclusive Karate World Championships in Budapest and last weekend won two bronze medals in Kumita and Kata. He absolutely lives for it. He trains with us once a week and then every month with the national side.
He gets amazing support from Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Ireland and his parents. His parents come to watch him train week in, week out, and that’s a huge reason why he’s at the level he is. They were delighted with him last weekend.
“This year we had 569 entries in total in the Irish International Open, 77 of those were inclusive athletes which is an incredible number. We also had the world number one from Canada, and that was a privilege, so on Saturday everyone got a glimpse of how much support we have from the karate fraternity.
“There’s a great team spirit within our whole group though. We all train together, and if someone wins a medal it could easily be someone else the next time. And these guys know if they don’t work there’s someone on them telling them to get at it. You have to work hard and they all drive each other on.
“Now we’re hosting the World Championships in DCU in 2019, and we plan on being able to cater for everyone. So if you’re a 16-year-old boy with autism, you’ll be in that category, if you’re 20 and you have cerebral palsy, you’ll have that group.
“That’s the great thing about karate for inclusive kids, all you have to do is show up. For the likes of basketball you need a specific chair but karate caters for anyone.
My own group, Irish Kenpo Karate Union, started running inclusive sessions on a national level five years ago, that’s when karate really started to grow for inclusive kids.
We went to Belgium three years ago for the first inclusive Karate World Cup and we brought five competitors, last year we brought a team to Strasbourg and we had 30, this year we went to Budapest and we had 35 so it’s getting bigger and stronger all the time.”
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
“I looked at the Inclusive Karate athletes performing and I saw this athlete standing next to his chair doing his KATA and I knew it would make a very strong image. I decided to take the shot from above because it really isolated the athlete from everything else, no one was helping him.
If it was taken from ground level the chair might have looked like it was someone else’s, so taking it from high shows that it’s just the athlete competing with his disability, it was a nice shot.
“I did this event last year too and I’ve really enjoyed it both times. The event is extremely inclusive, there’s no distinction between any athletes, and the organisers never asked me to focus on anyone in particular.
“It’s very much a case of ‘this is it, you’re in, no special treatment, you do you,’ and it was very refreshing to see.
“It is, without a doubt, one the best ways to incorporate athletes with disabilities into the sport. If you’re looking to do it, Karate Ireland ONAKAI is the model to base it on.
“I got the feeling that if I had a disability, this would be the way I’d want to be treated. Nothing’s different, no separate sections, I’ll get up, do my karate, get judged and that’s it.
“The whole thing is to the point, some kids get upset, some kids cried, but there’s no big deal made of it.
They take care of the kids so much and there are medics there for any kids who get hurt but no one is mollycoddled. It gives the kids huge confidence and will really stand to them in the future. It’s something I wouldn’t mind at all if my kids got involved in, you learn how to take your knocks and move on.
“What surprised me was that Sean McCarthy, a top Irish karate prospect was in the middle of it all, competing on mats next to eight-year-olds.
“I wouldn’t have known this guy was the real deal unless someone told me. There was no special treatment, not over the top at all and it was so positive.
“The selfless work of the coaches was also incredible. The coaches were so great for the day and I can only imagine the work that they put in.”
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