Steve Brown (right) captains the Great Britain wheelchair rugby team

One of the expected consequences from London 2012 is a transformation in disability sports, which will receive unprecedented exposure during the Paralympics.

Organisers hope the Games will provide a watershed moment which will fundamentally alter the public’s view of events which, if not completely ignored, are often misunderstood.

Britain is hugely successful, finishing second in the medals table at Beijing, and a gold rush is widely predicted again this year.

As captain of Britain’s wheelchair rugby team, Steve Brown is well placed to pick up a medal in September, but for him the priority is about the battle to become a champion rather than any loftier ambitions of representing disability sport.

“I’m not interested in changing perceptions,” he said. “I go past thousands of people on the street every day and I don’t know anything about them. That doesn’t mean that what they do isn’t worth knowing, or isn’t courageous or inspiring or exciting.

“As far as people knowing me or knowing wheelchair rugby, I do this because I want to and I’m proud of what I do. I like the excitement and the adrenalin and the competition. Before my injury I was a competitive, horrible, older brother and nothing’s changed.

“I want to win whatever’s being played, I race my brothers with lolly sticks down the river and if mine doesn’t win I’ll still make an excuse. That doesn’t change because I’ve had this injury.

“I’m just fortunate wheelchair rugby’s there for me to have a sport I can be competitive in on a level playing field. I owe an awful lot to the sport, on and off the court.”

Paralysed from the chest down after falling from a balcony in 2005, Brown has gone on to become a key member of the Britain squad.

Appointed captain last year, the 30-year-old from Sittingbourne led a team depleted by injury to silver at the European Championships last October.

The sport has captured the imagination and was the first Paralympic event to sell out, meaning 10,000 spectators will watch their games – a record for wheelchair rugby.

Brown is delighted with the squad’s preparations to date and praised the spirit among the players, who will not all make the final cut.

He said: “I want Great Britain to win with me in the squad, it’s the same for everyone, but there’s no animosity. If I don’t make it all I want is the best for the others and I know the feeling’s mutual for the other players.

“To win a medal with your best friends, people you’ve been working with day-in day-out – the trust, respect and understanding you have to show – and knowing everyone’s worked as hard as they can, would be so rewarding.”

Photo by MICHAELA GREENE