Along the journey to London 2012 there have been many milestones. Sometimes they have seemed a little forced, almost as if the enormity of what is approaching is not enough in itself to make you excited.

In some ways today should feel like that. For my team at the British Paralympic Association (BPA), it is no different from tomorrow or last week. Another opportunity to work flat out to make sure that we leave no stone unturned in support of our athletes at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. In particular, a day to focus on the week ahead and the start of competition at the BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.

However, the 100 days to go mark, which today is, does provide a really valuable moment for consideration. Just as political administrations are often judged on their first 100 days, so what is done in this last 100 days will shape not just how we as a nation perform at the Games themselves, but also what happens after this most significant event in our lifetimes.

It's that latter point that deserves attention. We are confident - but not complacent - that as far as our athletes and the world-class personnel that support them within Governing Bodies, their partners and the ParalympicsGB team, everything is being done now to be in the best possible shape for London. We have a proud history of success at the Games to emulate in London and, while international competition is stiffening all the time, there is no reason to believe that should not happen.

It is just as important however that we are ready for what comes next. No matter how great a task London 2012 is, a greater one awaits. That is how to ensure the Games is not just a single moment in time, a never to be repeated high water mark. Rather, to view London as the catalyst to real change and lasting improvement.

Across the disability sport landscape, there is great work happening and real progress being made in many areas around clubs and communities. But there is still much more that can be done to improve the access, opportunity and integration of individuals playing sport at every level. And across society as a whole, to its understanding, acceptance and engagement in disability and disability sport.

For all those involved, there has never been a better time to make the most impact, nor a brighter light to shine on our ambition. We should not talk, therefore, of a legacy from London for Paralympic sport. The Paralympics, and awareness of it, is developing too quickly for that sense of aftermath. It is only 64 years since the Movement was born here at Stoke Mandeville and only 52 years since the first Paralympic Games in Rome.

We should instead focus on what is still to come, what is new and transformational that can be created and built upon as a result of the Games. On the momentum that London 2012 can and must inspire.

For the BPA, the period following the Games is all about building that momentum. Our primary purpose is and will remain ensuring our athletes are best prepared to succeed at the highest level as part of Paralympics GB. Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 are, therefore, the milestones on which we will focus on most.

However, we are also uniquely positioned to use the inspiration of that success on the field of play to drive positive action, influence and delivery more widely than ever before. Our role as the National Paralympic Committee (NPC), our responsibilities on both the national and international stage and our broader purposes as a charitable trust, mean that we have genuine and legitimate interest in the wider development of disability sport.


That does not mean that we will look to change our prime focus away from the team, or start to engage in programmes that are best delivered by others. We have no interest as an organisation in duplicating work best done within NGBs (National Governing Bodies), or by our partners in the home countries. To do so would confuse a landscape that must work effectively if we are collectively to succeed.

What we are best placed to do, however, is provide the profile and "brand" that can drive awareness and engagement across society, as the Paralympic Games is seen as the pinnacle of achievement and exposure for disability sport. We believe that the inspirational impact of London, and the brand identity and values that will be further strengthened by the team's profile at the Games, can be instrumental in driving fundamental shifts in perception, adding value to what has gone before and helping to inspire real change. It gives the BPA the opportunity to act not just for the good of the sports that make up our membership, but for the good of sport itself.

To show how we intend to do this, we have published today our Strategic Plan for 2012/17. Entitled "Maximising Momentum" and compiled following several months of consultation with our partners across the sporting arena, it is our statement of purpose, role and intent for the period beyond London.

It outlines our vision and mission, demonstrating clearly the link between what we see as the means of our activity – to be best prepared in supporting our athletes at the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games – to ends that speak to a wider, higher purpose; that of inspiring through sport a better world for disabled people.

It focuses on the strategic priorities and roles, responsibilities and functions we believe we should adopt to deliver against them. It highlights the vital nature of the relationships and partnerships needed, recognising that we cannot work in isolation and should not duplicate work best done by others. And it defines the culture and values we will embody as an organisation.

London 2012 is the start of a new chapter for the BPA and for disability sport across the UK. The new Strategic Plan seeks to provide the roadmap for any individual, any partner, any organisation to be part of the journey.

Working together we can maximise the momentum from the Games and truly inspire, through sport, a transformation in society. That, with 100 days to go, sounds like an ambition worth stating.

Tim Hollingsworth is the chief executive of the British Paralympic Association