Disabled sports in Australia
[1] After the Hawke Labor government won the 1983 election, improving access to sport for people with disabilities became a more mainstream policy priority as part of their social democratic and federalist agenda.[1] These mainstreaming efforts continued into the 2010s and there was a renewed focus of disability sport at the recreational level, as well as bolstering participation among children.The Local Para Champions grant provides funds for coaches, competitors and officials aged 12–24, who are participating in competition with a disability.The Compensation Grant fund helps Paralympic athletes whose Disability Support Pension payments are affected by international travel.In the build-up to the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, 'special events' featuring disabled athletes started to become part of mainstream swimming competitions.In the context of swimming, this meant ensuring that disable athletes had the same access to training camps, international tours and competitions.On 26 January 2022, Alcott was named Australian of the Year "for distinguished service to paralympic sport, particularly to tennis, and as a role model for people with disability, and to the community through a range of organisations".[26] The most recent AusPlay survey published in October 2021 shows great insights into how many people with disabilities participate in sport or other physical activity.[28] Furthermore, positive school environments and other support networks makes athletes feel more connected to their sport and will enable other facilitators like meeting new friends and having a sense of achievement.Either the family, or the athlete themselves (if they are older), often need to balance attending medical review, appointments, and check-ups, which can get in the way of sustained participation in sport.[28] Furthermore, their perceived physical limitations, which include increased risk of injuries, subsequent longer recovery times, tiredness and pain also deter long-term participation.[29] The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and the subsequent lockdown and restrictive border control measures throughout the country created new barriers to participation for individuals with disabilities.At the local level, the closure of sports-related day programs due to lockdown measures presented a large barrier for individuals with disabilities to continue participation in sport during the pandemic,[31] this was due to a lack of space and specialised equipment at home as well as the absence of access to professionally trained instructors.
Paralympics1960 Summer Paralympics1976 Winter Paralympics2000 Summer ParalympicsswimmingSport AustraliaAustralian Bureau of StatisticsHawke Labor governmentAustralia Sports CouncilDisability Discrimination ActDylan AlcottparaplegicAustralia men's national wheelchair basketball teamWheelchair Basketball World Championship2008 Summer Paralympics2012 Summer ParalympicsQuad category of wheelchair tennis2015 Australian Open2018 Australian OpenGolden Slam2016 Summer Paralympics2020 Summer Paralympics2022 Australian OpenAustralian of the YearAndy LapthorneAlix Louise Sauvage1992 Paralympic GamesWorld Para Athletics ChampionshipsIAAF World Athletic ChampionshipsBoston MarathonLos Angeles Marathon1997 Berlin MarathonMedal of the Order of AustraliaParalympian of the YearSport Australia AwardsWorld Sportsperson of the Year with a DisabilityLaureus Sports AwardsSport Australia Hall of FameAngie BallardCOVID-19 pandemic in AustraliaSport in AustraliaHistoryRural and Regional sportWinter sportWomen's sportNew South WalesNorthern TerritoryQueenslandSouth AustraliaTasmaniaVictoriaWestern AustraliaTeam sportsAmerican footballAustralian rules footballBaseballBasketballCricketField hockeyFootballFutsalGaelic GamesHandballIce hockeyLacrosseNetballQuidditchRoller derbyRugby leagueRugby unionSoccerSoftballVigoroWater poloIndividual sportsAthleticsBadmintonBodybuildingBoxingCampdraftingCyclingThoroughbredharnessMixed martial artsMotorsportPickleballPro wrestlingRock climbingSport wrestlingSurfingSkeletonSkiingTennisWood cuttingOlympicsWinterCommonwealth GamesBaseball World CupDeaflympicsFIFA Confederations CupFIFA World CupFIFA Women's World CupRugby World CupRugby League World Cup