King of the road

Few able-bodied people can claim to have won Olympic gold medals, travelled the world and raised hundreds of millions of dollars for charity. Canadian Rick Hansen has done it all in a wheelchair. A keen sportsman before his spinal cord was injured in a road accident at the age of 15, Hansen went on to win 19 international wheelchair marathons and six Paralympic medals. But equally challenging has been his goal to make the world a more inclusive place for disabled people.

In 1985, Hansen embarked on his global Man in Motion World Tour to raise awareness and funds for research into a cure for spinal cord injury. It was a more than two-year journey across 34 countries and covering a distance of nearly 23,000 kilometres, the second leg of which he began in Hong Kong.

He will be back in Hong Kong this week as part of the tour's 25th anniversary celebrations, during which he will bestow awards, on behalf of his eponymous foundation, on Hong Kong residents who have worked to further the causes close to his heart.

Hansen says the other aim of his Man in Motion tour was to bring attention to the potential of people with disabilities, and inspire others in a similar situation to remove barriers in their communities and live meaningful lives.

'After I won a Paralympics gold medal in Los Angeles [in 1984], I felt incredibly privileged to have been supported by so many people,' Hansen says. 'It was then that I was inspired to give something back; to try to make a difference to others in the situation I'd experienced, and help others along the way.

'At the time, the world was a large and inaccessible place, and it was going to be a long and gruelling journey. But like all big dreams, it was about overcoming your own self-doubt and fear, and taking the first step is the most important part.'