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International athletes speak out about polio

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New Team End Polio campaign reminds people about a tenacious disease

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Ramesh Ferris wants you to see his legs.

“When people see me walking with my crutches and braces, if I’m not wearing shorts, they do not think of polio,” says Ferris, who contracted the disease at six months old. “But when people see my legs, they’re like, ‘Oh, what happened?’ It starts a discussion around what people can do to work together for a polio-free world.”

Ferris tries to wear shorts whenever he’s hiking or using his hand-cycle, a three-wheeled device powered by hand cranks. And he’s found other ways to channel his athleticism into the fight against polio. In 2008, he hand-cycled 7,140 kilometers (4,437 miles) across Canada to raise awareness and funds for polio eradication.

Using a 27-speed hand-cycle and consuming 5,000 calories a day to maintain his energy, Ferris traveled 400 kilometers (249 miles) every 10 days from British Columbia in the west to Newfoundland in the east. His Cycle to Walk trip raised funds for Rotary International’s End Polio Now effort and other anti-polio projects.

Now Ferris has joined Team End Polio, a new campaign by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to raise awareness about the need to wipe out the disease. Team End Polio’s starting roster of top international athletes includes several who, like Ferris, have been directly affected by the disease. All are determined to speak up on social media and at sporting events.

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“Polio is one of these forgotten-about diseases that is ‘out of sight and out of mind,’” says Ferris, a member of the Rotary Club of Whitehorse-Rendezvous, Yukon, Canada.

The effort to fully eliminate polio has been a massive project. It’s reduced cases by 99.9% over four decades, and today the wild poliovirus endures in just a few places around the world. And yet, as is true in many races, the final lap is the hardest part.

“It is critical that people realize that polio knows no borders,” says wheelchair athlete Minda Dentler, who contracted polio as an infant. “As long as this disease exists anywhere, it is a threat to children everywhere.”

At an event announcing Canada’s contribution of CA$151 million (US$111,233,500) to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Ramesh Ferris presents a Team End Polio jersey to Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen.

Dentler used a hand-cycle to complete the New York City marathon in 2006 and later qualified for the Ironman World Championships. It took her two tries, but she became the first woman wheelchair athlete to complete the grueling triathlon. She had to swim 2.4 miles, hand-cycle 112 miles, and propel her racing wheelchair for 26.2 miles, with a time limit for each stage. The second time she competed, she crossed the finish line in 14 hours and 39 minutes.

“I learned how, with perseverance, anyone can overcome obstacles and achieve goals that seem impossible,” says Dentler, who published a children’s book in March titled, “The Girl Who Figured It Out.” She says that same quality is needed for the fight against polio.

“With continued effort from donors and affected countries, we can overcome the remaining challenges and deliver a polio-free world,” she says. “But increased funding and continued commitment to vaccinating every child is essential.”

Like Dentler, the other athletes on Team End Polio embody ideals associated with sportsmanship: strength, dedication, determination, and the ability to work as part of a team.

“When you compete in a sport like football, you have to rely on your teammates to defeat your opponent. The fight against polio is no different,” says Michael Essien, a coach and former star player from Ghana. During a trip to Liberia in June 2024, he says, he witnessed the collaboration and coordination required to implement a polio vaccination campaign.

“To end polio, it will require all of us working together as one team,” he says.

Other members of Team End Polio include:

  • Ade Adepitan, a polio survivor and two-time wheelchair basketball medalist in the Paralympic Games
  • Wasim Akram, former captain of Pakistan’s national men’s cricket team and an international cricket commentator
  • Muhammad Ali, a member of Pakistan’s national men’s cricket team
  • Junior Bosila Banya, a French polio survivor and professional breakdancer
  • Bismah Maroof, a former captain of Pakistan’s national women’s cricket team
  • Ajara Nchout, a Cameroonian professional football player
  • Anne Wafula Strike, a British polio survivor who was among the first female wheelchair racers from Africa to compete in the Paralympic Games

Ferris’ home country of Canada recently emphasized its commitment to ending polio. On 20 September, Minster of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced a pledge of CA$151 million (US$111,233,500) to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative at a Rotary institute. The donation puts Canada at over $1 billion contributed for polio eradication. At the event where the pledge was announced, Ferris gave Hussen a Team End Polio jersey.

“There have been a copious number of amazing global citizens who have rallied together with one goal in mind, and that is ending polio,” Ferris says. “The good thing about the polio program is that we’re united to cross the finish line. We’re not doing it alone.”

Learn more about Team End Polio and donate to the cause.

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— October 2024