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Far from the elaborate settings in which leading sport administrators usually find themselves, Andrew Parsons and Grant Mizens wiped away sweat as they traversed a steep descending trail on a heavily jungled remote South Pacific Island.
Parsons, the President of the International Paralympic Committee, and Mizens, recently appointed President of Paralympics Australia, were taken to the island of Tanna by representatives of the Vanuatu Paralympic Committee along with Tanna resident Ken Kahu, who represented Vanuatu in the men’s F64 javelin at Paris 2024. The group was flown in by light aircraft from the capital Port Vila before a bumpy truck ride that tested the passengers’ balance and patience.
“We have a Para-athlete in a village over that way,” Vanuatu Paralympic Committee President Margeret Macfarlane said at one point, gesturing towards the dense forest.
“There’s a Paralympian who lives in a village over there,” she added at a different time.
The message was bold, making the point of the trip apparent: there are few places in the world, if any, where people with a disability face greater obstacles to access sport – let alone progress to high performance levels – than the island nations of the South Pacific.
To succeed in Para-sport in Australia is hard. Under the co-leadership of Paralympics Australia, a study found there were more than 160 barriers to entry and progression for Para-athletes domestically. Across the South Pacific, however, many of those barriers are compounded.
Geographical isolation is a practical and a financial obstacle. Limited resources and competition opportunities make access to international classification – the necessary foundation to competing in Paralympic sport – extremely difficult. Outside of Australia and New Zealand, the growth of Para-sport in Oceania, and all the positive outcomes it brings to individuals and societies, is being held back.
It’s why Paralympics Australia, through its role as a leader in the region, is working with the IPC and other partners to secure additional qualification events and more support for national and international classification opportunities, as well as financial investment and technical expertise for regional development initiatives.
“From limited access to equipment, to the tyranny of distance when travelling to competitions and qualifying events, to a lack of classification services and coaching expertise – these challenges are real and they are urgent,” Mizens said in a speech at a fundraising dinner for the Vanuatu Paralympic Committee in Port Vila.
“That’s why we must prioritise investment in staging more international competitions and classification opportunities here in Oceania. By identifying more members of our communities with physical, vision and intellectual impairments and increasing access to classification for them, we can unlock the door and open up a world of possibility, especially for those on the Paralympic pathway.
“Of course, bringing these services closer to home is a must. It will significantly reduce the financial and logistical burdens faced by our National Paralympic Committees and athletes, and help build a more inclusive, sustainable high-performance ecosystem in our region.”
Mizens – who also attended a Commonwealth Sports GAPS program event for emerging Vanuatu Para-athletes – said it was about much more than winning medals at the Paralympic Games.
“It’s about empowering every person with a disability to access sport – because that first opportunity to participate is often the first step in breaking down stigma. In showing a young person that they belong. In showing a community what’s possible. And, for those who have the capacity and potential to compete at the elite level, it’s about giving them the pathways and belief to go all the way.”
Mizens added that, as the largest National Paralympic Committee in Oceania, Paralympics Australia must play a leadership role in the region, alongside the Australian Government, through the Australian Sports Commission and departments including Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“By also joining forces with our colleagues from the Australian Olympic Committee, Commonwealth Games Australia, and of course, the IPC, we have the ability to make meaningful progress towards achieving our shared vision to create a stronger, more inclusive, more successful Oceania Paralympic family,” he said.
By David Sygall, Paralympics Australia.
Published 1 July, 2025.
