Caragh McMurtry is a former Team GB rower. She was diagnosed with autism as an adult and is now CEO of Neurodiverse Sport. She is an advocate for inclusion and empowerment of neurodivergent people in sports.
What is Neurodiverse Sport about and what does it do?
“Neurodiverse Sport exists to help sport understand and support neurodivergent people better — and to help neurodivergent people understand themselves better within sport.
We work with athletes, coaches, governing bodies, and schools to translate lived experience into practical change. That includes training, consultancy, research, storytelling, and co-designing more inclusive systems.
At its heart, Neurodiverse Sport is about moving the conversation beyond awareness. Awareness is important, but it’s not enough. We focus on implementation — what does inclusion actually look like on a cold Tuesday morning at training? How do you design environments that allow different brains to thrive rather than survive?
We also try to reframe the narrative. Neurodivergence isn’t just about deficits or barriers. There are genuine performance strengths — but those strengths only show up in the right environment.”
“Rowing can attract neurodivergent athletes — but whether they stay and thrive depends heavily on the environment.”
How does your neurodivergence benefit or enhance your experience of the sport?
“I’m autistic, and that has shaped my entire relationship with rowing. One of the biggest strengths is depth of focus. When I’m engaged, I can analyse technical detail obsessively and refine it repeatedly. Rowing rewards repetition, precision and marginal gains — all things that suit my brain.
I also experience a very strong internal drive for mastery. I’m not easily satisfied with “good enough.” That can be intense, but in high performance sport, intensity is often useful.
Another aspect is honesty. I tend to experience things very directly and intensely, including discomfort and injustice. That has made me very attuned to fairness and standards within sport. It’s part of why I now advocate for systemic change — not just for myself, but for others.
At the same time, those same traits can become vulnerabilities if the environment isn’t supportive.”
What aspects of rowing are made challenging by your neurodivergence?
The social and political side of elite sport has been far more challenging for me than the physical side. Rowing, particularly at national level, involves a lot of unspoken rules — around communication, hierarchy, emotional expression and conformity. I tend to be very literal and very direct. That can sometimes be misinterpreted.
Uncertainty is also difficult. Selection processes, changing crews, and opaque decision-making can create a high level of cognitive and emotional strain. I function best when expectations are clear and feedback is specific.
Sensory overload can also be an issue — busy training camps, shared accommodation, constant social interaction. None of that is dramatic, but over time it accumulates.
What I would say is that many of these challenges are environmental rather than inherent. When communication is clear, expectations are explicit and psychological safety exists, the difficulties reduce significantly.
Do you think that rowing attracts neurodivergent people? Why or why not?
I think certain elements of rowing are very attractive to neurodivergent people. It is structured, repetitive and measurable. There’s a clear relationship between effort and outcome. Training programmes are detailed. Data is abundant. Those features can be very appealing to people who like clarity and systemisation.
It is also a sport that rewards endurance — physically and mentally. Many neurodivergent individuals are used to tolerating high levels of internal intensity, which can translate into resilience in training.
However, rowing is also a highly social team sport with a strong cultural identity. That aspect may attract some neurodivergent people but alienate others. It depends on the individual and on how flexible the culture is. So yes, I think rowing can attract neurodivergent athletes — but whether they stay and thrive depends heavily on the environment.
Have you found there to be support at club or at national level for neurodivergence?
Historically, when I was competing, there was very little explicit understanding or structured support for neurodivergence at national level.
That’s not necessarily through ill will — it simply wasn’t widely understood. Much of the system is built around a fairly narrow idea of what a “robust” athlete looks like.
At club level, support often depends on individuals. Some coaches are intuitively flexible and curious; others are less comfortable adapting. It’s inconsistent rather than deliberately exclusionary.
What I am seeing now is growing awareness. More athletes are being open about diagnoses. Governing bodies are beginning to engage in education and policy discussions. It’s early days, but the direction of travel is positive.”
“Neurodivergence is not a niche issue. It is part of human variation.”
What needs to be done to improve the support and accommodations available to neurodivergent rowers?
“Firstly, education needs to move beyond a one-off workshop. Coaches and leaders need practical tools: how to communicate feedback clearly, how to structure training environments, how to reduce unnecessary ambiguity.
Secondly, psychological safety is fundamental. Athletes should not fear negative selection consequences for disclosing neurodivergence. If disclosure feels risky, people will mask — and masking carries a long-term cost.
Thirdly, systems need to be examined, not just individuals. Selection processes, accommodation setups, travel demands, communication styles — these can all be designed more inclusively without lowering performance standards.
Finally, lived experience must be involved in shaping solutions. Policy written without input from neurodivergent athletes will miss critical nuance.
One important point is that neurodivergence is not a niche issue. It is part of human variation. In any high-performance environment, there will be neurodivergent athletes — diagnosed or not.
The question is not whether they are there. The question is whether the system allows them to thrive sustainably.
I also think it’s important to say that this conversation isn’t about lowering standards. It’s about removing unnecessary barriers. Inclusive environments tend to benefit everyone — clearer communication, better feedback, healthier cultures.
Ultimately, if sport genuinely wants to optimise performance, it needs to understand brains as well as bodies.”
More information about Neurodiverse Sport can be found here.
