Wales Transplant team

The Wales Transplant Team is a sports team of organ or tissue transplant athletes and donors, who make up a pan Wales team competing in more than 23 different sporting events at the British Transplant Games.

The team consists of people who have received kidney, liver, pancreas, and bone marrow transplants; people who have become living donors; and some who are back on dialysis and waiting for another transplant. The Welsh Transplant Team has provided a crucial chance to support people to become active following their transplants, and for some it has offered the chance to be genuinely competitive again in a high profile sporting competition.

In 2019, the Welsh Transplant Team competed in the Westfield Health British Transplant Games in Newport, having grown in 4 years from 3 to 48 members.

The team managers strive to make the team as inclusive as possible, in terms of transplant types. 3 managers have set up a football team to encourage fitness amongst patients and provide support through a shared experience.

Three junior athletes competed on the Welsh team at the games, with the youngest winning three medals. The Welsh Transplant Team put in a fantastic performance, winning 35 medals overall, and a trophy. Members of the team also went on to compete for team GB at the World Transplant Games and continued their winning streak there.

This team is about more than just winning medals: it is about creating opportunities and supporting people to feel part of the team.