His family said the former wheelchair athlete's health had been deteriorating since last December and he passed away at the Bayview Hospital in Bridgetown yesterday.

Worrell was paralysed after being shot during an attempted robbery in April 1994 and soon took up wheelchair racing.

He competed in a number of long distance wheelchair events winning the Run Barbados half-marathon on three successive occasions and placing second in the masters category of the London Marathon in 2009.

He also competed in events in Trinidad and Tobago, England, Germany, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Ecuador and Portugal.

He became President of the Paralympic Association of Barbados in 2009, where he worked with his wife Maureen, the secretary of the National Paralympic Committee (NPC).

Worrell was the driving force behind the development of Paralympic sport in the country and wanted to see more Barbadians competing at Paralympic Games, including the likes of swimmer David Taylor who competed at London 2012.

"Being the President of the Paralympic Association of Barbados was his life," said his wife Maureen.

"After the injury, it was his main goal to see it grow in Barbados."

Commenting on his death, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven, said: "On behalf of the IPC Governing Board and the whole Paralympic family, I would like to express my deepest condolences regarding the passing Wesley.

"Wesley was a pioneer and visionary for Paralympic sport in the Caribbean region.

"He was not only a dedicated athlete with a great passion for sport, but also the leading advocate for people with an impairment in the country.

"He raised the profile of the Paralympic Association of Barbados since he became President in 2009 and what a great success it must have been for him to see David Taylor competing at the Paralympic Games at London 2012.

"The IPC will miss this great character and sportsman and he will leave a gap that will be most difficult to fill."

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