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The preparations of Australia’s Paralympians for Paris 2024 have received a major boost of confidence from the Federal Government with the announcement of a new Olympic and Paralympic Preparation Fund to address rising costs.
Paralympics Australia warmly welcomed the announcement on Tuesday to provide $20 million in additional funding to 32 national sporting organisations (NSOs), including 16 which manage Paralympic high performance programs.
The announcement was made by Federal Minister for Sport, The Hon Anika Wells, and Australian Sports Commission Chief Executive Officer Kieren Perkins at an event in Adelaide, with Paralympians and Olympians also in attendance.
Paralympics Australia President Jock O’Callaghan said the new funding would provide an important and timely boost for hundreds of athletes pushing for Australian Paralympic Team selection next year.
Paralympics Australia aims to send more than 180 athletes from 20 sports to the 2024 Paralympic Games beginning in Paris on August 28.
“With this new funding, our Paralympic athletes can direct their focus to training and qualification events around the world, knowing they have the backing of the nation behind them to get there,” O’Callaghan said.
“Paralympics Australia is grateful to the Federal Government and the Australian Sports Commission for this increased level of support and for sharing our ambition to create the most successful era in Australian Paralympic sport.”
Paralympics Australia Chief Executive Catherine Clark said Paralympic sports have been feeling the pressure of dealing with increased costs and related operational implications for their Paris 2024 campaigns.
“While soaring travel costs have been a significant factor so far, our Paralympic high-performance programs are also facing a range of additional Paralympic-specific challenges including access to international classification opportunities which have reduced since the COVID-19 pandemic,” Clark said.
“I want to thank the Federal Government for recognising the contribution that our Paralympic athletes make to Australian society and the impact that this boost in financial support can have on our chances of a successful Paris 2024 campaign.
Paul Kiteley, Paralympics Australia’s Performance Director of Wheelchair Rugby, said the uplift in funding for the Australian Steelers’ high performance program brought a renewed sense of purpose and commitment.
“With our final qualification event coming up early next year, our program has had to consider ways to conserve our budget in the face of rising costs and this has meant the reduction of training camps and other performance services,” Kiteley said.
“This funding boost from the Federal Government certainly alleviates some pressure. In working to optimise our high performance plans, we are now able to do this with more of a performance focus, rather than a financial one.”
The Federal Government also confirmed the availability of an additional stream of contestable funding for NSOs to apply for grants to fund initiatives or projects with strong potential to generate more qualifications for Paris and more medals.
Clark said Paralympics Australia would work with all eligible NSOs to ensure Paralympic sport was well-represented among the successful applicants when they are announced in early September.
“Australia won medals in 10 of the 18 sports we contested at the previous Summer Paralympic Games, including our first ever medals in boccia, taekwondo and our best-ever performance in table tennis, a foundation sport at the Games, Clark said.
“While these 10 sports will again strive for medal success in Paris, there are other sports such as badminton, emerging as real medal contenders, and Para-triathlon who are re-emerging after past gold medal success. They are among those programs worthy of additional resources and support based on recent performances.
“There is still time for these programs to strengthen their Paris preparations and we are excited about the potential for this additional funding to maximise the chances of more qualified athletes, more personal bests and more Paralympic medals for Australia.
“With the One Year To Go milestone approaching, our High Performance and Games Delivery staff are focused on working with our NSO and high performance system partners to identify and promote both existing and emerging opportunities for Paralympic success in Paris.”
By: Paralympics Australia
Posted: 25 July 2023
