Paralympics Australia

National Paralympic Committee of Australia

Paralympics Australia (PA) previously called the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) (1998–2019)^[1] is the National Paralympic Committee in Australia for the Paralympic Games movement. It oversees the preparation and management of Australian teams that participate at the Summer Paralympics and the Winter Paralympics.

APC played a major role in Australia's successful bid to host the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.^[2] Since the 1996 Summer Paralympics, Australia has finished in the top five nations on the medal tally. It is also a successful nation at the Winter Paralympics.^[3]

Membership

PA is a company limited by guarantee and its shareholders are national sports federations and national sporting organisations for the disabled. These organisations are: Athletics Australia, Australian Shooting International Limited, AUSRAPID, Basketball Australia, Blind Sports Australia, Boccia Australia, Cerebral Palsy – Australian Sport and Recreation Federation, Cycling Australia, Disabled Winter Sport Australia, Equestrian Australia, Football Federation Australia, Rowing Australia, Swimming Australia, Table Tennis Australia, Tennis Australia, Wheelchair Sports Australia, and Yachting Australia.^[4]

Administration

Paralympics Australia was established in 1990 as the Australian Paralympic Federation. It is governed by a board of directors which may include elected and appointed members.

Presidents

• Marcus Einfeld 1990–1992^[5]
• Sally Anne Atkinson 1992
• Ron Finneran 1993^[6]
• Bob McCullough 1994–1996^[7]
• Marie Little 1996–1997^[8]
• Greg Hartung 1997–2013^[9][10]
• Glenn Tasker 2013–2018^[10]
• Jock O'Callaghan 2018–2023^[11]
• Alison Creagh 2023-^[12]

Secretary /chief executive officers

• Adrienne Smith 1990–1993
• Frank Martin 1994–1997^[13]
• Scott Derwin 1997–1999^[13]
• Brendan Flynn 1999–2003^[13]
• Darren Peters 2003–2009^[13]
• Miles Murphy 2009^[13]
• Jason Hellwig 2010–2015^[13][14]
• Lynne Anderson 2015–2021^[15]
• Catherine Clark 2022-2024 ^[16][17]

Activities

The Paralympics Australia undertakes a number of activities to assist Paralympic athletes. These include:

• Team preparation – preparation of Australian teams for Summer Paralympics and Winter Paralympics^[18]
• Sports programs – APC manages five sports programs (boccia, goalball, powerlifting, wheelchair rugby and winter sports).^[18]
• Classification – APC provides Australian athletes with a disability with access to classification by a trained classifier at all levels of their development.^[18]
• Paralympic Talent Search – identification of people with a disability who may have the ability to participate at the Paralympic Games.^[18]
• Paralympic Education Program – a national program to educate Australian school children on Paralympic athletes and sport.^[18]
• Paralympic Speakers Program – Paralympians visit businesses, schools and other workplaces to demonstrate the importance of workplace safety.^[19]

Milestones

Milestones in the development of the Australian Paralympic movement and Paralympics Australia:

• 1960 – Australia participated in the 1st Paralympic Games in Rome, Italy. The Australian team of 12 athletes won three gold, six silver and 1 bronze medals.
• 1962 – Perth hosted the 1st Commonwealth Paraplegic Games. It was the first international disability multi-sport held in Australia and raised the profile of disability sport.^[20]
• 1975 – Australian Confederation of Sports for the Disabled established.^[21]
• 1976 – 1st Winter Paralympic Games held in Sweden. Australia was unofficially represented at these Games by Ron Finneran, who competed but was not officially recognised as he did not fall into the amputee or visual impairment categories.^[22]
• 1977 – Sydney hosted the 2nd FESPIC Games, a multi-sport event for Far East and South Pacific athletes with a disability.^[23]
• 1981 – National Committee on Sport and Recreation established to make recommendations to the Minister for Sport on priority areas for the development of sport and recreation for disabled people including funding allocations.^[24]
• 1984 – Amputee swimmers and track and field athletes attended their first training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in preparation for the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics.^[25]
• 1985 – inaugural Australia Games provided events for disabled athletes in athletics, swimming, basketball, lawn bowls, netball and weight lifting competitions.^[26]
• 1988 – Russell Short, a vision impaired thrower, became the first athlete with a disability to be offered a scholarship at the AIS.^[27]
• 1990 – The Australian Paralympic Federation was established to coordinate elite Australian athletes with a disability participation in the Paralympic Games and liaise with the International Paralympic Committee.^[21]
• 1990 – Australian Sports Commission Disabled Sports Program offered three AIS scholarships to athletes with a disability – Russell Short, Rodney Nugent and Dean Barton-Smith.^[28]
• 1991 – Chris Nunn commenced as part-time coach of Aussie Able Program located at the AIS. ).^[29]
• 1993 – Sydney won the right to host the 2000 Paralympic Games. Ron Finneran and Adrienne Smith lobbied to ensure that the Paralympics were part of Sydney's bid for the 2000 Olympics and they would be underwritten by the Federal and State Governments.^[30]
• 1993 – Michael Milton was the first winter Paralympian to receive an AIS scholarship.
• 1994 – Paralympic Preparation Program established by the Australian Sports Commission assist to athletes with a disability in their preparation for the 2000 Sydney Paralympics^[31]
• 1994 – Australian Paralympian of the Year established with wheelchair racer Louise Sauvage the first winner.^[32]
• 1998 – The Australian Paralympic Federation changed its name to the Australian Paralympic Committee. A new logo was created.^[33]
• 2000 – Sydney hosted the 11th Summer Paralympics, the first Games held outside the Northern Hemisphere. Australia finished first on the medal tally winning 149 medals – 63 gold, 39 silver and 47 bronze medals. It has been Australia's most successful summer Paralympics to date.^[34] At the end of the Games, International Paralympic Committee, Robert Steadward declared Sydney the "best Games ever".^[34]
• 2001 – AIS and APC established an AIS/APC Alpine Ski Program. It was the first single sport AIS program for athletes with a disability.^[35]
• 2002 – APC adopted a policy of mainstreaming that resulted in national sports organisations being responsible for the preparation of their athletes to Paralympic level.^[35]
• 2002 – Australia's best performance at Winter Paralympics winning six gold and one bronze medal at the Australia at the 2002 Winter Paralympics.^[22]
• 2005 – APC established the Paralympic Search Program to identify people with disabilities who had the athletic potential to represent Australia at Paralympic level competition. At the 2012 London Paralympics, 43 talent search program athletes represented Australia and won 28 medals.^[36]
• 2009 – APC and Australian Olympic Committee jointly submitted a National High Performance Plan for Olympic and Paralympic Sports in Australia to the Crawford Inquiry into Australian sport.^[37]
• 2009 – Greg Hartung, APC President, was elected the Vice President of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board at a meeting of the IPC General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur.^[38]
• 2010 – The APC received an additional $3 million per annum as part of the Australian Government's sport reform package Australian Sport: The Pathway to Success.^[39]
• 2010 – The APC and Australian Defence Force (ADF) launched the ADF Paralympic Sport Program that aimed to direct ADF members, who acquired a disability during their employment, into Paralympic sport.^[40][41]
• 2011 – APC established Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame.^[42]
• 2011 – APC engaged the University of Queensland and the University of Canberra to write the History of the Paralympic Movement in Australia. This project is part of a larger project within the APC, to capture and archive valuable historical records of Australians at the Paralympics.^[43] as the country's first Centre for Paralympic Excellence.^[44]
• 2012 — Australia participated in the 14th Paralympic Games in London, England. The Australian team of 161 athletes won 32 gold, 23 silver and 30 bronze medals.^[45]
• 2013 – Greg Hartung steps down as President after 16 years in the position and replaced by Glenn Tasker.^[10]
• 2015 – Ski & Snowboard Australia took over the operation of the Paralympic winter sport. The APC had managed the program since 1994.^[46]
• 2016 – Australia participated in the 15th Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Australian team of 176 athletes won 22 gold, 30 silver and 29 bronze medals
• 2019 – Changed named to Paralympics Australia (PA) with a new logo.
• 2019 – Australian Government announced $12 million in funding to Paralympics Australia – $8 million for Australian Team at 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and $4 million for the development of training centre in Melbourne.^[47]

Awards

The Paralympics Australia recognises the achievements of athletes and the contribution of coaches and administrators through several awards including the Australian Paralympian of the Year, Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame and the Paralympic Medal.^[48][49]

History Project

Audio recording of Tony Naar, general manager Knowledge Services at the APC, talking to students at the University of Canberra about the HoPAu project.

In 2011, The APC engaged the University of Queensland and the University of Canberra to write the History of the Paralympic Movement in Australia. This project is part of a larger project within APC, to capture and archive valuable historical records of Australians at the Paralympics.^[43] Further, in cooperation with the National Library of Australia the APC has conducted several interviews with people who have played a significant role in the Paralympic movement in Australia.^[50] Finally, an Australian Paralympic Wikipedia user's group was established to expand the coverage of the Australian Paralympic movement in Wikipedia.^[43]

See also

• Sports portal

• Australian Olympic Committee
• Australia at the Paralympics
• Australia at the Summer Paralympics
• Australia at the Winter Paralympics

References

1. "Paralympics Australia begins a new era". Paralympics Australia website. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
2. "Annual Report 994" (PDF). Australian Paralympic Federation. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
3. "Medal Standings". International Paralympic Committee Results Database. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
4. "Mission and goals". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
5. "Einfeld, Marcus Richard: Australian Sports Medal". itsanhonour.gov.au. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
6. "Ron Finneran". Sport Australia Hall of Fame website. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
7. "Annual Reports 1994 to 1996". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
8. "Annual Report 1997" (PDF). Australian Paralympic Committee website. Retrieved 8 July 2013.^{[permanent dead link]}
9. "APC Board". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 28 June 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
10. Sygall, David (15 December 2013). "Greg Hartung : the man who brought disabled sports in to the mainstream". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
11. "APC announces new President". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
12. "Paralympics Australia Announces New President". Paralympics Australia. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
13. "Annual Reports 1994–2011/12". Australian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
14. "APC Chief Executive stands down". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 27 March 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
15. "APC Board appoints new Chief Executive". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 21 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
16. "Paralympics Australia Appoints New Chief Executive". Paralympics Australia. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
17. "Paralympics Australia – Resignation of Chief Executive Officer | Paralympics Australia". www.paralympic.org.au. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
18. "APC Programs". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
19. "APC Programs". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
20. Bedbrook, George (September 1962). "The First Commonwealth Paraplegic Games". The Australian Paraplegic: 9–10.
21. Oxford Companion to Australian sport. 2nd ed. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 1994. ISBN 0195535685.
22. "Paralympic Games History – Winter". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
23. Chiang, Silas (2010). FESPIC Movement : sports for people with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (PDF). Hong Kong: Commercial Press. ISBN 978-962-07-6449-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
24. Australian Sport : a profile. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. 1985. pp. 39. ISBN 0644036672.
25. Annual Report 1983-1984 (PDF). Canberra: Australian Institute of Sport. 1984. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2012.
26. Australian Bureau of Statistics (1986). Year book of Australia 1986. Canberra: AGPS. pp. 678–679.
27. "Timeline – Australian Institute of Sport". Australian Sports Commission website. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
28. "Annual report 1989-1990" (PDF). Australian Sports Commission. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
29. "Chris Nunn – Athletics Head Coach of the Australian Paralympic Team" (PDF). Coaching Australia. 4 (2). 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
30. "A selfless heroine for Paralympians". Sydney Morning Herald. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
31. "Annual report 1993-1994" (PDF). Australian Paralympic Federation. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
32. "Annual report 2011-2012" (PDF). Australian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 February 2013.^{[permanent dead link]}
33. "Annual Report 1998" (PDF). Australian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 February 2013.^{[permanent dead link]}
34. "Paralympic games History – Summer". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
35. "Annual report 2002" (PDF). Australian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 February 2013.^{[permanent dead link]}
36. "Search for the next Paralympoc star continues". Australian Paralympic Committee News. 10 October 2010. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
37. National High Performance Plan for Olympic and Paralympic Sports in Australia (PDF). Sydney: Australian Olympic Committee : Australian Paralympic Committee. 2009.
38. McDonald, Margie (23 November 2009). "Greg Hartung rises to IPC vice-presidency". The Australian. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
39. "Athletes big winners in new high performance funding". Australian Sports Commission News, 3 September 2010. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
40. Browning, Jennifer (12 May 2010). "Injured soldiers encouraged to be Paralympians". ABC News, 13 May 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
41. "Launch of the Australian Defence Force Paralympic Sports Program". Department of Defence Media. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
42. "Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
43. "APC to secure Australia's paralympic history". Australian Paralympic Committee News. 21 July 2011. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
44. "Australia Announces Centre for Paralympic Excellence". International Paralympic Committee News. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
45. "Bring on Rio". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 10 September 2012. Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
46. "A new direction for Australian Winter Para-sport". Ski and Snowboard Australia News. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
47. Sanda, Dominica (5 February 2019). "breaking news Aussie paralympians get $12m funding boost". News.com.au. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
48. "Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
49. "Australian Paralympian of the Year". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
50. "Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies Oral History Project". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 February 2013.

External links

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• Paralympics Australia Official site
• Paralympics Australia on YouTube
• Paralympics Australia on Facebook
• Paralympics Australia on Twitter
• Paralympic Education Program
• Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies Oral History Project – access to interviews
• International Paralympic Committee Official site
• National Sport Information Centre Catalogue – listing of information resources maintained by the Australian Paralympic Committee.