A new para-sport unit will be established at the Queensland Academy of Sport, with the aim to make Brisbane 2032 Australia’s most successful Paralympic Games on record.
Wheelchair rugby player Ella Sabljak, who represented Australia at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo and Paris, said the dedicated para-sport unit would help break down barriers for para-athletes.
“It’s going to be so, so important for our emerging athletes coming through, to show our emerging athletes that their journey is just as valued as anybody else’s journey,” she said.
Queenslander Ella Sabljak competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympics last year.Credit: Michel Euler/AP
Queensland Sports Minister Tim Mander said the state government had invested $2 million into the unit, a commitment that had been matched by the Commonwealth.
“Our aim is for 2032 to be the most successful Games ever for Paralympians and these are the type of initiatives that we need to bring that about,” he said. “It’s a great collaboration between different levels of government who are trying to reach the same goal.”
Paralympics Australia chief executive Cameron Murray said it was a “groundbreaking day” for para-sports, and explained that the para-sport unit would serve many purposes.
“It’s a talent program offering tailored support to emerging athletes,” he said. “It’s a coaching program … It’s about state-of-the-art access to equipment, which has been identified as one of the significant barriers for our athletes to be able to compete, grow and develop.
“And it’s about establishing growing partnerships with health professionals and sporting organisations to be able to achieve the very best for our power athletes in the future.”
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