Overcoming adversity is commonplace for Lanre Sowami.

The 24-year-old from Chatham was diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma as a four-year-old, and had to learn to walk and eat again after a lengthy spell of treatment.

His battle with illness saw him lose use of both of his legs, leaving him in a wheelchair, though his non-specialist school always encouraged his love of sport - in particular basketball.

However, there came a time where competing became more challenging.

“I played the running game with an actual basketball team at school, and they incorporated me into that team,” said Sowami, who is being supported by Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) through SportsAid this year.

“We travelled to different places to play but it got a bit awkward, because I was running over people’s toes and things like that. It was inclusive but they had to show me another way that I could participate in more.

“A coach got in contact with my physio and my physio found me a team in Maidstone (the Rebels), and that was my first club. Once I was with that team, I wanted my own specialist wheelchair.

“The guy who owned the wheelchair company came down to measure me and he actually owned a club in London. He said: ‘Hey, why don’t you come and play for my team from London?’. It just took off from there.”

Sowami went on to join the London Titans. He was announced as part of RBC’s ‘Class of 2023’ at a welcome reception in London. He is one of 50 athletes, across 34 sporting disciplines, to have received an award contributing towards costs such as travel, accommodation and equipment.

RBC and SportsAid are celebrating 10 years of partnership in 2023 with more than £1million of support, including over £325,000 raised by employees, provided to the charity over the course of the last decade.

That move to a specific wheelchair basketball team saw Sowami handed opportunities he never previously thought were possible. And having already achieved so much with his career despite the significant challenges often pitted against him, spots at the biggest events of them all are now in the pipeline.

He added: “It’s been amazing, just having the ability to participate in different tournaments in Dubai, in Japan.

“I’ve competed in European Championships at under-25 level - that was a really big achievement for me. And just continuing to learn the game, I’ve loved doing that. Club-wise, it’s important to finish up the season really well and for us to continue to win.

“Personally, it’s to continue to progress and try and make the senior national squad, improve my fundamentals as a player and maybe push to go abroad - and try and get a professional contract.

“My long-term ambitions are to make the senior men’s team and compete in the Paralympic Games, as well as to make a senior men’s Commonwealth Games, that would be amazing. I think Paris is too close, so maybe LA - but definitely the next Commonwealth Games in Australia.”

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