Blind athlete's Paralympics judo dream dashed

An athlete who is registered blind has had his dreams of competing in the Paralympic Games dashed after he was told he could lose what little was left of his sight.

Scott Bailey, a former dairy farmer from Crewe, lost the majority of his vision seven years ago through diabetic retinopathy, a condition which damages the retina’s blood vessels.

Over the last two years, he has been training and competing in judo with the aim of representing Team GB in the Los Angeles Paralympic Games in 2028.

But Bailey said a doctor advised him not to take part in the sport anymore, as a blow or injury could cause him to lose the remaining vision in his right eye.

He told BBC Radio Stoke it came not long after his beloved guide dog Milo retired, adding: “At the moment, it feels like there are a million things hitting me.

“My life has massively changed in a short amount of time. This time last year, I didn’t think I’d be in the position I’m in now.”

Despite his participation in judo being a “way of life” and winning multiple medals at European tournaments, Bailey said he knew he had to follow his doctor’s advice.

He said he was currently “blackout blind” in his left eye but described the vision in his right eye as like “looking through a frosted glass window”.

“That bit of light and those blurry shapes I get, that’s everything to me – that’s how I see my family, how I manage to get around with my guide dogs,” he said.

“If I lost that… I’d lose everything and I don’t know how I’d be.”

Despite the setback, Bailey said he was determined to continue being active while working with the Guide Dogs charity.

He said he was now focused on training for the 2027 London Marathon and would be raising money for the organisation.

He described his newfound love for running as a nice change to being inside on the judo mats.

“It’s so freeing just to be outside with other people,” he added.

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