Finn Miles

Finlay is my son. To me, a biased but sincere observer, he is the most inspiring person I have ever met. Finn has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, which makes the everyday social world you and I take for granted a place of great confusion, anxiety and often isolation for him. His struggles are made all the more frustrating, and poignant, by fact that he is so aware of his difficulties and so desperate to be understood by those who dismiss him. Finn is nevertheless a person who impresses everyone he meets with his honesty, integrity and his steely determination to succeed, self-defined as helping other people 'who don't fit in to be accepted' and persuading the wider world to value difference. Against considerable odds and in the face of wearying low-level bullying by some of his peers, he has developed a wonderful, courageous sense of humour and a deep sense of empathy for those 'less well off' than himself. These are highly unusual traits among autistic people. Finn is already deeply invested in the 2012 Olympiad. His mother runs one of the Olympic Legacy projects, about which he is deeply conflicted. Secretly, a source of great pride, he also struggles hugely with her absences in connection with this work. I feel he deserves a little back on this. Choosing him to be a torchbearer would recognise his personal fortitude and generosity of spirit. It would also signal to the wider world that the Olympic movement can detect and reward champions of a rather different kind.