About Tony Garrett
I'm the Disability Executive looking after our multi media disability coverage across Television, Radio and Online. It's my responsibility to promote Paralympics/disability events, features and stories across the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳.
I always knew I wanted to be involved in sport and that I wanted to work for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳. I had an idea which turned into reality when I joined the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sports Department at 18.
A few years ago I was looking at jobs in the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ and felt there was a gap in the market. I felt we needed to improve the coverage of disability sport on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳.
It came off the back after the Sydney Paralympics and the lack of ramp for Tanni Grey-Thompson at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sports Personality awards. It was a real opportunity to make progress.
The role was to coordinate multi-media coverage and improve it by looking for new faces, new stories and new people. We cover disability sporting events - preview and review them, and bring new names and faces to the public.
The Disability online site was born from that and has been successful and award-winning. It's home for all Paralympic sports across the world. The aim is to raise awareness and look at different sports and be a provider for news stories as and when they happen.
Disability sport needed, and still does, a dedicated person to push it. It's one of the many minority sports and it's up to the small team and myself to make it newsworthy and bring attention to the stories/personalities.
Our television coverage has increased during the past years with more comprehensive coverage of the Paralympics, the introduction of the Paralympic World Cup from Manchester, and the integration of disability sport into events such as Wimbledon and the London Marathon.
With radio we try to get more coverage on Five Live. If there's a story/event then there are opportunities during the daytime and evening shows. Disability sport coverage should be on, just as an able-bodied sport would be. With the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s many outlets it's important to tell the story across Radio 4, Children's TV, the World Service, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News and the local Regions to name just a few.
I used to compete for GB in wheelchair table tennis. I played at the World and European Championships but just missed out on being selected to participate at the Paralympics. Although I was working on our coverage of the Sydney Paralympics here in London, I was delighted to be part of our successful team in Athens and am looking forward to Beijing.
Outside of work I live with my teenage daughter Emma and naturally have a keen sporting interest. I am a season ticket holder at the Valley following the fortunes of Charlton and am Chairman of Charlton Athletic Disabled Supporters Association.
Cricket and Rugby are my other favourite sports and one of my most memorable sporting moments was watching England win the Rugby World Cup in Sydney. I am also playing a bit of wheelchair tennis and enjoy swimming.
