‘Healthy land and sports go hand in hand:’ Disabilities campaigner

UN News - Global perspective Human stories

A disabilities campaigner has said that “healthy land and sports go hand in hand,” and that greater access to sports activities should be made available to people living with a disability.Jitske Visser, who has represented the Netherlands in wheelchair basketball at five Summer Paralympic Games, winning four medals including two golds, was named as a Sport4Land Champion by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at a global meeting in Riyadh on Saturday.As one of four Champions, she will work to highlight the importance of restoring degraded land.According to UNCCD, globally the equivalent of four football pitches of healthy land is lost every second.Martin Samaan asked Jitske Visser about her work as a campaigner for people with disabilities.