Today marks 1000 days until the start of the Paralympic Games in London and, and as Paralympic bronze medallist, Sam Ingram, knows, there is still time to become a part of the Paralympic Games in front of a home crowd in 2012.

Sam made his GB debut in 2007 and won bronze in judo at the Paralympic Games the following year. A visually-impaired athlete, he has a brother who also competes in VI judo that only narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Paralympics in Beijing. Sam recently also won bronze at the 2009 European Championships.

With time ticking down until the Opening Ceremony begins, athletes with an impairment have never had a better chance to put themselves forward for a once in a lifetime opportunity to enter the Olympic Stadium at Stratford as part of the ParalympicsGB team.

24 year old Sam said: “My own experience was that I was able to progress rapidly once I got into the right coaching set up. I train with sighted athletes and there are minimal differences between visually impaired and sighted judo. It’s certainly not too late to start serious training for 2012 if you have the talent and determination to get there!”

Talent 2012: Paralympic Potential is a nationwide talent search being run by UK Sport, EIS and the British Paralympic Association. A campaign of this size so close to a Games is unprecedented and whilst it can take athletes up to eight years to reach an Olympics, research has shown that potential participants for a Paralympic Games can be ready to compete at an elite level much sooner.

Results at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing show that 33% of British medalists had been part of a world class elite programme for less than two years and 15 of the British Gold medals were won by first time Paralympians.

Chelsea Warr, Head of Athlete Development at UK Sport, said: “ The ability to achieve a Paralympic Gold medal is a rare commodity and identifying those capable of doing so in the final 1000 days before 2012 will be no easy task. It is possible however, as results at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing have shown, that with hard work, dedication and the right coaching set up, we can make someone’s dream a reality.”

The campaign is open to athletes aged between 15 and 35 with any form of impairment who believe they have what it takes to become a Paralympic Champion in 1000 days time. ParalympicsGB Chief Executive, Phil Lane, said: “ Whilst we have come second in the medal table at the past four Games, there are many events that we simply haven’t been able to field an athlete in. With the competition getting tougher all the time it is vital that we have explored all avenues to recruit new athletes.”

Those people with any form of disability, who think they might have what it takes to become a Paralympic Champion in London in 2012, should register their interest at www.uksport.gov.uk/talent before the 11th January 2010.

Sam Ingram backs the talent 2012 campaign