Paralympic gold medallist Jessica-Jane Applegate has been appointed as an ambassador for the International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability (Inas).
The swimmer won the S14 200m Freestyle event in record-breaking fashion at London 2012 and was Britain’s only S14 Paralympic champion at the Games.
Her performances on home soil saw her appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year’s Honours List and she hailed the work of Inas, which represents over 130,000 athletes across the globe.
“I am very excited to become an Ambassador for Inas,” the 19-year-old, recently crowned the Para-athlete of the year at the British Swimming Awards, said.
“Inas make it possible for people with an intellectual disability to be able to compete at an international level.
“They open up the pathway to enable athletes like myself to compete on the international stage against the best intellectually disabled athletes in the world. I have no doubt this has helped me become the Paralympic athlete I am today.
“I also think it is very important to support everyone that supports you - their work as a charity is massively important to athletes at every level.”
Applegate recently struck gold at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow, this time powering to victory in the S14 100m Backstroke, and won silver in the 200m Freestyle event.
“With such a busy training and competition schedule to maintain, we are really honoured that Jessica-Jane has accepted this role,” Inas executive director Nick Parr said.
“Inas has ambitious plans to support more athletes in more nations, and - through her incredible performances - Jessica-Jane is an inspiration to all athletes with an intellectual disability.
“Her support for Inas will help us achieve our mission - particularly with the Rio Paralympic Games less than a year away - inspiring a new generation of athletes to get involved.”