James Roberts (British athlete)

James Roberts MBE
Personal information
Full name	James Penry Roberts
Nationality	Great Britain
Born	(1986-05-11) 11 May 1986
Volleyball information
Position	UN
Number	11
Career
Years Teams 2012 FDSW Celtic Dragons
National team
2012 Great Britain sitting volleyball team
Honours Representing Great Britain Paralympic Games Wheelchair rugby 2020 Tokyo Wheelchair Rugby

James Roberts MBE (born 11 May 1986 in Mons, Belgium) is a wheelchair basketball player and Paralympic athlete based in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, Wales. Roberts was born with a disability called femoral dysplasia. He started out in his sporting career as a swimmer, and progressed on to other Paralympic sports, such as rowing and sitting volleyball. He competed for Great Britain at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, finishing fifth in the trunk and arm classification in adaptive rowing. He also competed for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, finishing 8th in the sitting volleyball. More recently he has begun playing wheelchair basketball for local side Rhyl Raptors.

Early years and education

Roberts was born on 11 May 1986 in Mons, Belgium. He attended the SHAPE American High School and graduated in 2005. After taking up his place at Swansea University to pursue a Bachelor of Science in sport and exercise science, he graduated with a second-class honours degree in summer 2010. In September 2011 Roberts embarked on postgraduate studies in sociology of sport and exercise at the University of Chester, subsequently graduating with a Postgraduate Certificate.

Tokyo Paralympics

In 2021, Roberts was part of the Great Britain team that took wheelchair rugby gold at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He was subsequently appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to wheelchair rugby.