Paralympians Turn Coach Through AIS Program

Retiring Paralympians Richard Voris, Melissa Tapper and Jed Altschwager will help guide the next generation of Olympians, Paralympians and Commonwealth Games athletes after being named in the second Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Gen32 Coach Program. 

AIS Gen32 was created in 2022 to enhance the depth and diversity within Australia’s high performance coaching ranks ahead of the home Games in Brisbane and to provide emerging or early-career coaches with a two-year paid internship in the nation’s top sporting programs. 

Tapper, who competed in table tennis at this year’s Olympics and Paralympic Games, Paris gold medal winning Para-rower Altschwager and Voris, who represented the Australian Steelers wheelchair rugby team at the Tokyo Paralympics, are part of a group of 30 up-and-coming coaches that will work across 23 sports. 

Altschwager recently started as Para-sport transition coach at the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI), a role which forms part of the $54.9 million dollar AIS Para Uplift project. 

“Coaching is a key focus in the remaining eight years to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games because you can’t have world-class athletes without world-class coaches,” Executive General Manager of AIS Performance Matti Clements said. 

“The AIS Gen32 Coach Program is a partnership with our national sporting organisations and National Institute Network, with 29 coaches having a career-changing experience over the first two years of the program. 

“It’s pleasing to see more than half of the upcoming group are women, with the AIS committed to working with sport to address the gender imbalance in high performance coaching roles by Brisbane 2032.” 

The women cohort includes swimming coach Kate Sparkes, who coached Chelsea Gubecka at the Paris Olympics, and Rowan Crothers, Katja Dedekind and Poppy Wilson at the Paralympic Games. 

Sparkes, who will be joining the SASI swimming program said: “I’m so excited to join the program. I think this is a really good opportunity to expand my knowledge, brainstorm with other coaches and get more education about the high performance side of things.” 

The 2025-26 AIS Gen32 Coach Program will run from January 2025 to December 2026.  

AIS Gen32 2025-26 Coaches: 

Bruna Accurso, Boccia Australia 

Jed Altschwager, South Australian Sports Institute and Paralympics Australia 

Renae Birgan, Shooting Australia and Victorian Institute of Sport 

Ryan Carneli, CombatAUS and Australian Taekwondo 

Amelia Catt, Australian Sailing 

Ryan Cuskelly, Squash Australia 

Samantha De Riter, AusCycling and Victorian Institute of Sport 

Amee Donohoe, Surfing Australia and New South Wales Institute of Sport 

David Fraumano, Rowing Australia 

Tom Gatti, Rowing Australia and Western Australian Institute of Sport 

Tim Geers, Hockey Australia and Western Australian Institute of Sport 

Cameron Gledhill, Swimming Australia and Queensland Academy of Sport 

Nathan Hedge, Surfing Australia and Queensland Academy of Sport 

Lauren Hyde-Cooling, Athletics Australia and Western Australian Institute of Sport 

Andrew Kyle, Australian Baseball Federation 

Karen Murphy AM, Bowls Australia 

Eddie Ockenden, Hockey Australia and Tasmanian Institute of Sport 

Deborah Schulstad, Athletics Australia and New South Wales Institute of Sport 

Brendan Sexton, AusTriathlon 

Jemma Smith, Paddle Australia and New South Wales Institute of Sport 

Kate Sparkes, Swimming Australia and South Australian Sports Institute 

Paris Speirs, Snow Australia 

Melissa Tapper, Table Tennis Australia 

Irene Torrealba Merida, Sport Climbing Australia 

Hannah Trethewy, Cricket Australia 

Richard Voris, Wheelchair Rugby Australia and Paralympics Australia 

Neridah Wearne, Softball Australia 

Rohan Wight, AusCycling and South Australian Sports Institute 

Helen Winterburn, Football Australia 

Shanon Zunker, Volleyball Australia and Queensland Academy of Sport 

By AIS and Paralympics Australia

Published December 17, 2024.