The 20-year-old from Hemel Hempstead is in the Great Britain Cerebral Palsy football squad for the Games.

And to get ready for the Paralympics from September 6 to 17, Richard and his team-mates will fly to Hong Kong on Saturday.

The Leverstock Green resident said: "It's going to be four weeks of my life I'll always remember and treasure."

Richard, an England-capped midfielder, is set to travel with the GB side from Hong Kong to Macau for 10 days' training before the Games.

The team will then fly to Beijing to kick-off their Paralympics campaign in seven-a-side matches against sides from seven other nations.

On their chances of winning a medal Richard said: "We're only ranked sixth in the world.

"But football's a funny old game, and anything can happen.
"Hopefully we can cause an upset."

Richard, an apprentice at BT, travelled to Argentina to play for England when he was 16 and has also played in Brazil.

He described qualifying for the Paralympics as 'the ultimate' but added that he also has his sights set on playing for Great Britain at the London Games in 2012.

"That's the long-term ambition," he said.

To follow Richard and the GB team's progress in Beijing check www.hemeltoday.co.uk