Victoria has established its first dedicated unit to discovering and developing the next generation of Paralympians with a funding boost after the 2024 Paris Paralympics, in which Australia recorded its lowest medal tally in more than three decades.
On Monday, the Victorian Institute of Sport launched the new ParaUnit, which is designed to make it easier for aspiring athletes to start or progress in para-sport. It is funded with $1.66 million from the federal government – part of a larger $54.9 million investment in the Paralympics made by the government in June last year.
Wheelchair rugby player Shae Graham.Credit: Simon Schluter
Paralympian and Paris bronze medallist Shae Graham said barriers faced by emerging para-athletes included a lack of specialist coaches, the cost of equipment and a lack of pathways for progression.
“I did a lot of Googling and a lot of searching to try and work out just where to go to give wheelchair rugby a go. So, [the] first barrier being like available information,” said Graham, who has been part of two Paralympics in wheelchair rugby.
“[The] second one was going from like wanting to play for fun to wanting to represent the country, and just not really knowing how to make that leap [and] obviously … it’s super expensive to buy any sort of para-sporting equipment.”
Graham, who was joined by four time Paralympian Ahmed Kelly and world champion para-cyclist Alistair Donohoe at Monday’s launch, thinks the new unit will lead to greater access to training and an improved performance at the 2028 Paralympics. She hopes that by Brisbane, “we’re gonna have the biggest team ever, and it’s gonna be so exciting to cheer everyone on”.
Ahmed Kelly is a four-time Paralympian in swimming.Credit: Getty Images
Paralympics CEO Cameron Murray said the program and broader funding is crucial if Australia is to remain a top 10 nation at the Paralympics, after it recorded the lowest medal tally since 1988 at the Paris games.
“I think we as a country weren’t investing,” said Murray.
“The reality is that, yes, it’s getting more competitive. Para-sport is growing globally, and there are countries investing significantly into their Para-sport programs. You obviously see the numbers from China, but you know other countries like Brazil, certainly the Netherlands, South Korea and Great Britain that have been investing significant money and funds into the programs, and they’ve reaped the benefits.
“So we’re trying to arrest the decline.”
VIS chief executive Nicole Livingstone said the dedicated unit would not only introduce people with disabilities to para-sport but help Australia achieve its lofty goal: “best ever Paralympic results” at Brisbane 2032.
“To achieve this, we need more athletes in more events. Some of those athletes that will be … involved in 2032 have not even yet been discovered, and for everybody involved in sport, that’s pretty exciting,” said the former Olympic swimmer.
If the ParaUnit is successful in discovering the next generation of Paralympians, Graham said she’d relish the challenge.
“The more competition the better. It just pushes you to be a better athlete,” said Graham.
