Former Wheelchair Basketball Bronze Paralympic medallist, television presenter, ‘Go Kids Go’ patron, Athlete Ambassador for ‘Right to Play’ and named on the power list of the ‘100 Most Influential Black British People’, Ade Adepitan is no stranger to adversity.
After contracting polio as a child and losing the use of his left leg, Ade has not let his disability take over his life. His drive and determination for everything that he puts his mind to is commendable, whilst also making him a firm favourite amongst the general public.
Ade initially gained success and fame from playing wheelchair basketball after playing for the Milton Keynes Aces Club, before progressing to being selected for the Great Britain team which played in the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games - winning the bronze medal in Men’s wheelchair basketball. A year later, Ade went on to compete in the ‘2005 Paralympic World Cup’ in Manchester, where his team won the gold medal.
Now he’s predominantly known as a TV personality, frequently featuring on a number of programmes for the BBC - especially well known for using his TV personality to campaign against racism and disability discrimination. Ade’s first TV appearances were being a presenter on CBBC’s ‘Xchange’, featuring in ‘EastEnders’ and starring as a basketball coach in the ‘Desperados’ series.
Since then, he has gone on to present a number of shows for the BBC, having participated in a documentary called ‘Beyond Boundaries’, a documentary which saw him trekking through rainforests, deserts, rivers and mountains. In 2014 Ade was selected to be one of the presenters for ‘The Travel Show’, a series from the BBC surrounding travelling.
He also had the privilege of covering the ‘Invictus Games’ for the BBC and, in 2016, co-presenting ‘New York: America’s Busiest City’. BBC Two also hosts the talent of Ade, presenting ‘Africa with Ade Adepitan’.
As well as the BBC, Ade has done several presenting jobs for Channel 4, like ‘Britain on Benefits’ in 2013 and an episode of ‘Unreported World’. He also hosted the ‘Winter Paralympic Games’ for Channel 4.
Additionally, he was also a part of the Channel 4 Rio 2016 Paralympics presenting team. A very charitable person, he supports a number of different charities alongside his TV work, such as the NSPCC and The Wheelpower Charity. He’s hard work and commitment throughout his career has not gone unnoticed, with him being awarded an MBE in 2006, for his services to disability sports, with Loughborough University presenting Ade with an Honorary Doctorate for his contributions to disability sport.
In 2023, Adepitan was commissioned for Channel 4's ‘Ade: My Week in the Whitest Place on Earth’ - proving his continued demand for television presenting. At the Pairs 2024 Olympics, he was a key presenter for Channel 4's coverage of the Paralympic Games, co-hosting the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and providing prime-time coverage alongside Clare Balding and Ellie Simmonds.
Having been named on the Powerlist of the ‘100 Most Influential Black British People’, he is a highly respected household name - who is now hired for a range of presenting and keynote speaking engagements, and Champions Speakers take pride in being an official speaker representative of him. Whether he is sharing the story of his successful wheelchair basketball career, or how he has overcome adversity throughout his life, Ade is guaranteed to captivate audiences of all ages.
Additionally, Ade Adepitan was recently honoured for his commitment to diversity and inclusion advocacy when he was listed as one of the official top 25 Diversity & Inclusion speakers in the world - ranked on popularity!
