How Women In Para Sport Give, So the Next Girl Can Gain 

This Sunday, March 8, International Women’s Day invites us to reflect on the power of giving, and what can be gained when that giving is intentional. 

Progress for women and girls in Para sport hasn’t happened overnight; it has been built over time by those who have led, advocated and paved the way – for today’s athletes and those who came before and the next girl watching. The girl who hasn’t yet found her sport, who isn’t sure she belongs, and who needs to see what’s possible before she can believe it herself. 

For Paralympian Leanne Del Toso, giving is about creating the space she once needed, so the next girl doesn’t have to fight as hard to find it. Wheelchair basketball opened her world, building confidence, connection and ambition. Now, alongside fellow Paralympian Shelley Matheson, she is helping ensure the same door stays open. 

Through the Play On program, Del Toso is building more than skills. 

“Knowing we provide a safe place for women and girls to be seen, respected, make friends, and learn new skills means everything,” she says. 

Del Toso remembers what it felt like to sit in rooms where decisions were made by people who didn’t share her lived experience. That memory now fuels her leadership. In the Play On program, women’s voices shape the culture, success is shared, families are welcomed and labels are left behind, so the next girl is welcomed and included. 

“We acknowledge the person they are and the skills they bring,” she said. “We celebrate together. You can’t be what you can’t see. Let women support women and make decisions for women. When we lead, our programs are stronger and more sustainable.” 

Janette Lindores has been giving to Para sport for 20 years, ever since her son Bryce became a member of the Australian Paralympic Team. From very early on, she saw the financial strain many athletes face – the ongoing costs of coaching, physios, equipment, travel, and competition.  

“It’s costly to be an athlete. Any type of financial help is vital,” she says. 

Ms Lindores gives not only through donations, but through action. Trekking Mount Kosciuszko in wild conditions alongside her husband Greg, she felt the sting of wind and fatigue, and something deeper. 

“Giving up was not an option. It reminded me so much of the resilience we see in our Para athletes every day.” 

Ms Lindores draws inspiration from women like Paralympian Lauren Parker, whose achievements on the world stage speak for themselves. However, for Ms Lindores, the impact of Para sport reaches beyond medals. It can be seen in the confidence athletes discover, the communities that grow around them and the sense of purpose it can bring to an entire family. 

“Our whole family had purpose when Bryce became involved. It transformed us.” 

For the next girl watching from the sidelines, support can be the difference between dreaming and doing. 

For Olivia Cruise, giving is vigilance and quiet strength. 

As an Australian Federal Police Liaison Officer supporting the Australian Paralympic Winter Team in Milano Cortina, much of her work happens behind the scenes. But its impact is significant. Her role is to ensure athletes can focus entirely on performance, knowing their safety is protected. 

“Major events can become pressure cookers,” she explains. “High visibility, unfamiliar environments, constant attention. Safeguarding and performance are inseparable.” 

Having worked at global events before, Ms Cruise understands the unique vulnerabilities female athletes can face. Her planning is meticulous – safe transport, secure accommodation, clear escalation pathways – but just as importantly, she works to build trust with athletes.  

She makes it clear that no concern is too small, normalising conversations about safety so women never feel they are “making a fuss” – because the next girl deserves to compete without carrying the weight of fear. 

To younger athletes, including Australia’s emerging Winter Paralympians, her message is simple: your voice matters. 

“Back yourself to take up space – not just on the field, but in every room you enter.” 

For seven-time Paralympian Angie Ballard, giving is about voice. 

From an early age, Ballard was guided by female Paralympic leaders who offered her guidance, encouragement and practical support. 

“They made sure I knew my efforts and outcomes mattered,” she says. “Sometimes it was very practical advice, like teaching me how to ‘jump’ a kerb (thanks Liesl Tesch!), and sometimes it was less defined by asking for my view, supporting my voice, and making sure I was included when I wasn’t fitting in as easily. 

“I can’t imagine where I would be without those women, they showed me that my journey mattered and now I’m grateful to be able to give back in the same way.” 

Today, Ballard focuses on mentoring and amplifying the voices of other women in Para sport. She believes that representation in co-design, leadership, research and decision making remains a critical barrier for women in all areas of sport, but particularly when systems are designed without the lived experience of women with disabilities. 

“Taking up space, speaking up and sharing your journey can be intimidating,” she says, “especially when you don’t see yourself or your journey represented by others in those spaces.” 

“Women are not just a smaller version of men,” she explains. “Too often decisions are made without understanding the different physical, social and safety considerations women face.” 

For Ballard, the most rewarding part of this work is seeing women grow in confidence and recognising their own strengths, regardless of when or how they enter sport. 

Her advice to women considering involvement in Para sport is simple: know your strengths, practise speaking up and seek out supportive communities.  

“We are often pioneers on our own pathways,” she says. “Supporting each other helps us challenge the idea that there is only one way to succeed.” 

Across these four stories, giving is not abstract. It is time given after hours, kilometres trekked in wild weather, meticulous planning that protects others, conversations that build confidence, a seat requested at a table so another woman can one day sit there too. 

Somewhere, the next girl is watching and because of women like Leanne, Janette, Olivia, and Angie, she will find a door already open and a community ready to welcome her.  

And one day, she may become the woman holding that door open for the next girl. 

 
By: Ashley Gillespie, Paralympics Australia
Published: 8 March 2026