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Paralympics Australia is proud to confirm the largest Australian Paralympic Team to contest a Games overseas, with a contingent of 179 Para-athletes ready to travel to Japan to represent our nation at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, starting 10 days from now, on August 24.
Australia will compete in 18 of the 22 sports on the program for Tokyo, including debut Paralympic sports Para-taekwondo and Para-badminton, equaling the record for most sports Australia has competed in at a single Games, set at Sydney 2000.
The Team size of 179 eclipses the 175 who competed at Rio 2016. Australia has been represented by a larger number of athletes only once since the first Paralympics Games, in Rome in 1960, at the home Games in Sydney.
Australia’s Team comprises 101 males and 78 females, ranges in age from 15 to 60 and includes 84 athletes who will attend their first Paralympic Games. It also includes two athletes who will compete at their seventh Paralympics, one who will compete at her sixth and six who will compete at their fifth Games.
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“The Australian Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2020 should be a source of enormous pride for all Australians,” Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin said.
“They embody the great strength and diversity of our communities and serve as a beacon for the continued advancement towards a fairer and more inclusive society.
“They also demonstrate the exceptional strength of character that epitomises Australian Paralympians. To qualify for an Australian Paralympic Team is an outstanding achievement. Yet, this time, it has required a unique level of resilience and determination.
“Through unprecedented obstacles, including the one-year Games postponement, as well as travel restrictions and lockdowns which severely impacted qualification pathways, training camps and international competition, our Para-athletes adapted, innovated and forged ahead in pursuit of their goals.
“It’s been a long and difficult road but their time has finally arrived. I can’t wait to do everything possible to create the optimal performance environment for our Team members so they can have a safe and memorable experience in Tokyo.”
The Team features three Indigenous Australian athletes, Rio 2016 Para-cycling silver medalist Amanda Reid, discus thrower Samantha Schmidt and swimmer Ruby Storm. Twenty-four Team members were born overseas, including swimmer Ricky Betar, who was born in Japan. Para-athletics wheelchair racer Eliza Ault-Connell returns to the Team after last competing in the Paralympics at Athens 2004, the longest stretch between Paralympic teams in Australia’s history.
Judoka Wayne Phipps will become the first Australian to compete in Para-judo since Beijing 2008, the Australian Gliders women’s wheelchair basketball team returns to Paralympic competition for the first time since 2012, our 11-strong Para-table tennis squad – including two-time dual Paralympic and Olympic representative Milly Tapper – is our largest since the Tel Aviv Games in 1968, and Shae Graham becomes the first woman to play for the Steelers, Australia’s wheelchair rugby team who will be aiming for an unparalleled third consecutive gold medal.
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“What lies ahead for this exceptional Australian Team is the unique hard-won honour of representing our nation in what is now the world’s third-largest sporting event,” Paralympics Australia Chief Executive Lynne Anderson said.
“It’s their chance to show what they’ve been training for and what they’re capable of. It’s their chance to do their absolute best.
“This moment is about celebrating our elite Para-athletes. It’s also about continuing to build on the work of generations of Paralympians who have made Australia one of the top Para-sport nations. After finishing on top of the medal tally at Sydney 2000, we finished fifth in the world at each of the past four Games. It’s a record of excellence that has impacted Australian society in a profoundly positive way and helped change the narrative around disability. I know this Team will be fiercely determined to continue that progress.
“To our National Sporting Organisation partners, who have navigated the uncharted waters of the past 18 months, thank you for your persistence, professionalism and teamwork. To the many coaches and support staff, thank you for your dedication and expertise. To all the families, partners and friends, our athletes could not have reached these heights without your love and support. We are all in your debt.
“Similarly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Federal Government, Sport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport. We cannot continue to set such a high standard without your firm and consistent backing and belief.
“Athletes, the stage is now yours. Good luck to all of you and may you achieve everything you have been striving for.”
By: David Sygall, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 14 August 2021
