Some of Australia’s greatest Paralympians have issued a stirring rallying cry for the nation with the launch of Paralympics Australia’s new Defy Limits brand platform, which illustrates the power of the human spirit by showing Paralympians redefining what’s possible.
The campaign will reach millions of Australians across Nine, 9Now, Stan and QMS out-of-home from November 8. It starts with a cinematic hero film narrated by wheelchair rugby legend Ryley Batt and features 10 athletes in powerful 15-second films, longer-form stories and social media cuts.
Defy Limits, created with Publicis Australia, is grounded in research that engaged fans, supporters, athletes, the sport sector and disability advocates, and it progresses Paralympics Australia’s positioning from the pre-Paris ‘Imagine What We Can Do’ campaign.
Defy Limits is a rallying cry that, through our incredible Paralympic athletes, demonstrates the very best of humanity and the very best of what it means to be Australian.
“The Australian sporting landscape has changed enormously since the Paris Paralympics with record investment in the Para sport system by the Federal Government,” Paralympics Australia Chief Executive Cameron Murray said.
“As a result, we’re on a trajectory now towards Brisbane 2032 that places Para sport as the marquee product we know it deserves to be, building on research by True North that revealed the Australian Paralympic Team was the nation’s most loved national sporting team.
“This campaign brilliantly showcases the incredible skill, resilience and diversity of Australian Para athletes, including athletes from eight different sports, with a range of disabilities, and each with an incredibly powerful story to tell.
“It’s a reminder that our athletes don’t just operate in four-year Games cycles but are constantly training and competing here and around the world, seeking excellence and representing Australia with great pride and determination.
“Defy Limits is a rallying cry that, through our incredible Paralympic athletes, demonstrates the very best of humanity and the very best of what it means to be Australian.”
The hero film starts with six-time Paralympian, Batt, saying: “When people say we can’t, we nod and listen, and then say, ‘Just watch’.
“Because it’s funny how fast we can go when we stop listening, stop doubting, stop treading carefully, stop assuming we can’t – and expect we can. And start defying the odds. Defying gravity. Defying stereotypes. Defying what humans think possible.”
Alongside Batt, the campaign features:
Alexa Leary, Para swimming
Vanessa Low, Para athletics
Telaya Blacksmith, Para athletics
Daniel Bos, Para powerlifting
Ameera Lee, Para archery
Jaylen Brown, wheelchair basketball
Sarah Larcombe, Para climbing
Kane Perris and sighted guide Luke Zaccaria, Para cycling
Find out more about each feature athlete on our Paralympian Stories page.
Three-time Paralympic long jump gold medallist, Low, said she hoped the campaign would encourage more Australians to get behind the nation’s Para athletes as they strive to compete at LA28 and beyond.
I really hope the campaign will help people see Paralympic athletes the way that we are, as humans and high performing athletes, and see disability last.
“I really hope the campaign will help people see Paralympic athletes the way that we are, as humans and high performing athletes, and see disability last,” Low said.
“I’m hoping it changes the narrative a little bit from what we’ve seen in the past to where we actually are.
“It was great fun to be part of [the campaign]. We had a great day filming, it was a really great team and I really like the vision and being part of that.”
The platform launches across Nine, 9Now, Stan and QMS out-of-home on 8 November 2026, with a cinematic hero film that then extends into outdoor, digital and social. Each athlete has their own 15 second film, as well as extensions into longer-form stories and social-feeds leading up to LA28, Brisbane 2032 and beyond.
Paralympics Australia is only able to continue doing its work driving the Paralympic Movement forward in Australia because of the generous support it receives from Government, Corporate Partners and donors.
The focus continues to be on delivering teams to each Summer and Winter Paralympic Games and supporting Para athletes as they enter and progress through the Para sport system and into their post-sporting careers.
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