James Anderson (swimmer)
Encyclopedia
James Allan Anderson OBE
(born April 14, 1963) is a United Kingdom
(Scottish
) swimmer
. He was born in St Andrews, Fife and now resides in Broxburn.
He has represented Great Britain
at the Paralympic Games
on five occasions, in 1992
, 1996
, 2000
, 2004
and the 2008 Summer Paralympics
. He has won six Paralympic gold medals, four at the 2004 Games, in the 50 m, 100 m and 200 m freestyle and the 50 m backstroke events, and two at the 1996 Games in the 50 m backstroke and 100 m freestyle races. He has also set two world records and four European records. He competed again
at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
in Beijing
. In 2004 he was awarded the BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year
award and was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
Jim is also a former British Wheelchair Disco champion.
Anderson has cerebral palsy
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born April 14, 1963) is a United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
. He was born in St Andrews, Fife and now resides in Broxburn.
He has represented Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
at the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
on five occasions, in 1992
1992 Summer Paralympics
The 1992 Summer Paralympics were the ninth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Sports :The games consisted of 487 events spread over fifteen sports. Powerlifting and weightlifting were considered to be a single sport...
, 1996
1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....
, 2000
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
, 2004
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
and the 2008 Summer Paralympics
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
. He has won six Paralympic gold medals, four at the 2004 Games, in the 50 m, 100 m and 200 m freestyle and the 50 m backstroke events, and two at the 1996 Games in the 50 m backstroke and 100 m freestyle races. He has also set two world records and four European records. He competed again
Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
Great Britain competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Great Britain sent a delegation of around 400, of which 212 were athletes, to compete in eighteen sports at the Games...
at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. In 2004 he was awarded the BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year
BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year is the most prestigious annual sport award in Scotland. It is organised by BBC Scotland.-Winners:-External links:* BBC Sport Scotland, December 2003...
award and was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
Jim is also a former British Wheelchair Disco champion.
Anderson has cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
.