The 41-year-old from Hampshire, who is a Patron of the British Paralympic Association (BPA), will be the main presence for Channel 4's peak time live coverage of the Games, where she will be joined by British Paralympic wheelchair basketball medallist Ade Adepitan.

But despite having worked as a television presenter for the BBC for nearly two decades, Balding admits that the challenge is one that she is very nervous about.

"As far as Channel 4 is concerned, this is their big event of the whole year," Balding told insideworldparasport.

"The whole summer is about the Paralympics for them and they have given it a genuine narrative by building up to it over the last few years.

"But it is a new challenge for me and I'll be very nervous by the time we get to the Paralympics.

"I said that to the young talent [working on the Paralympics for Channel 4] when I did a master class for them and they responded: 'If you are nervous, what about us?'

"But I explained that if I wasn't nervous, there would be a big problem.

"I have to make sure I get this right and ensure that everybody around me, particularly the young talent, feels relaxed and comfortable and also gets it right."


Balding is leading a line-up of presenters and reporters for the Games of which 50 per cent are disabled.

Channel 4 will be hoping that there is no repeat of their disastrous coverage of the 2011 World Athletics Championships in Daegu when lead presenter Ortis Deley was dropped half-way through the event after his inept performance drew a barrage of complaints from viewers.

However, Balding believes that the Deley episode highlighted that fact that sports presenting is an extremely difficult job to get right.

"Sports presenting isn't easy," she said.

"It is actually an incredible gift and only some of the very skilled people I have worked with make it look easy.

"In many ways, there is no preparation for it without having done it before and therefore it is always very difficult coming into an event for the very first time.

"It is a bit like with athletes.

"They always talk about training as much as you like in pool or around the track but until you race competitively, you can't get the proper feel for it except by racing more.

"It is the same with presenting.

"You cannot get fully ready for an event like the Paralympic Games, to the same extent, until you have done one.

"I guess that is why I got the nod."

The full text of the exclusive insideworldparasport interview with Balding can be read here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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February 2012: Clare Balding to front Channel 4 coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics