Ian Hamilton Harrison (21 March 1937 – 26 August 2016) was a British Paralympic sailor and para sailing administrator. He won gold at the

1996 Summer Paralympics The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were held from August 16 to 25. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million. It was the first Paralympic Games where Internatio ...

, where the sport made its Paralympic debut. In his youth, Harrison was a sailor in the

Snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. ''Gallinago'' snipe have a nearly ...

, before sailing on HMS ''Worcester'', While in India, he caught

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

, resulting in disability. His legacy was in the formation of Sailability and the

International Foundation for Disabled Sailing The International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) was an affiliate member of the International Sailing Federation and was responsible for coordinating the paralympic sailing competition with the International Paralympic Committee. The orga ...

, the inclusion of the sport within the Paralympics and the work with World Sailing on integration of disabled sports. Together with

Andy Cassell Andrew Cassell (14 July 1942 – 18 March 2025) was a British Paralympic sailor who won gold at the Sailing at the 1996 Summer Paralympics, 1996 Summer Paralympics, where the sport made its Paralympic debut. He was born in East Sussex, England. ...

, Kevin Curtis, and Tony Downs, he won the Sonar event at the sailing demonstration events of the

. For his work within para sailing, he was recognised at various stages: in 1988, he was awarded

Member of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE); in 2005, he was awarded the IPC Paralympic Order; and in 2008, he was awarded the

World Sailing World Sailing is the international sports governing body for sailing (sport), sailing; it is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). History The creation of the International Yac ...

Long Service Gold Medal.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Ian 1937 births 2016 deaths English male sailors (sport) Snipe class sailors Sonar class sailors 2.4 Metre class sailors Paralympic sailors for Great Britain Paralympic gold medalists for Great Britain Paralympic medalists in sailing Sailors at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English sportsmen