AN EDINBURGH snowboarder has launched a crowdfunder in the hopes of becoming the first athlete with motor neurone disease (MND) to compete at the Winter Olympics.
Davy Zyw was diagnosed with MND in 2018, but that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing competitive snowboarding, and he has continued as a para-athlete.
In order to compete in the Olympics, Davy must reach the Parasport World Cup series and is raising money to cover travel and expenses for the six European competitions that will get him there.
Since Davy’s diagnosis, he has taken part in multiple endurance challenges to raise money for MND causes, such as cycling from Edinburgh to Rome earlier this year and riding the 264 miles across the Hive Five route in the Scottish Highlands.
The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, also known as Milano-Cortina 2026, will be held in Milan and the Italian Alps.
Davy’s JustGiving page was opened four days ago and has since raised £170 of its £7,500 target.
If Davy is successful in qualifying for the games, he will become the first Paralympian with MND to compete in the Winter Olympics, and the first Paralympic athlete from the UK to compete with the disease.
On the page, he wrote: “It’d be unbelievable to make it – I get goosebumps thinking about it.
“At this stage, it’s almost impossible to imagine myself there.
“The standard of competition is incredibly high, many of my fellow para athletes are full time snowboarders so I’m taking nothing for granted, but to be able to compete at this level is really encouraging.
“I need to get faster and tighten my technique for the next races, but feel I’m making progress every time I step in.”
Davy also campaigns and raises money for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation , which was founded after late Scottish Rugby star Doddie Weir was diagnosed with MND in 2017.
Davy, who is also the senior buyer for wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd, was accompanied by over 100 of his colleagues for a 100km walk in September, that raised over £181,000 for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
As he hopes to compete in the upper limb category of snowboarding, he said: “To qualify for the Winter Paralympics would be phenomenal – it feels a long way off despite the hurdles I’ve already cleared.
“I thought I was going to be dead within two years when I was diagnosed in 2018, and here I am gearing up for a winter of snowboard racing – I feel incredibly lucky.
He added: “The nature of MND means I’m only going to get weaker and more adversely affected as the disease progresses.
“It puts me in a position where I know that even if I get there, I’ll be performing at a lower level versus some other athletes, and yet I’m more able bodied than others – but that doesn’t deter me.
“Everyone competing in parasport has had huge challenges to overcome by just being on their snowboards, it is a truly inspiring group of athletes to compete with.”
