The first ever dedicated Para Sports Unit has been launched at the Western Australian Institute of Sport to support aspiring athletes aiming for the 2032 Brisbane Paralympic Games.

Over a two year period, up to 80 athletes will receive the grant, including people new to para-sport, emerging talent, pre-classified athletes, and those transferring from other sports.

As part of the program, the state government will provide $5000 grants to those who participated in the Paris Paralympic Games.

Rebound WA’s chief executive Simon Mead says the launch is a wonderful step in giving athletes more opportunities to succeed.

“It is going to be a great boost for the people that are already giving it a go and just need that extra bit of help, it is a brilliant initiative and we are huge fans of it,” he says.

By building a coordinated national system, the unit aims to reduce barriers to para-sport participation and talent identification, while also improving athlete development and fostering an inclusive high-performing environment.

Wheelchair basketballer Natalie Alexander represented Australia at the Tokyo Paralympics. She says the grant provides an opportunity to level the playing field.

“Being able to have the opportunity to try different sports, and have people believe that they are good at something, is really cool to see,” she says.

Simon Mead says many mainstream schools lack the essential equipment required to support students with disabilities, which can result in social isolation.

“For physically disabled individuals, the lack of accessible equipment and environments often leads to exclusion from sports. Paralympic sports provide crucial opportunities for participation,” he says.

“Many sporty kids in mainstream schools are regularly sidelined due to unsuitable conditions, so having access to proper equipment gives them an enormous boost.”

Athletics West marketing and community general manager David Smith says while funding has previously been directed to elite athletes, this funding will be committed to grassroots sports.

“We’re spending more and more time building out resources and identifying opportunities to upscale grassroots, clubs, coaches, and officials to enable far more participants to become active, and to remove more barriers so that you don’t have to wait until you’re 15 to get involved,” he says.

Mr Smith says being able to coach para-athletes and able bodied athletes together will bring them more opportunities to succeed.

“When we get coaches who are able to provide hybrid coaching plans, not segregating para-athletes and able bodied athletes into different squads, but bringing them together and providing them opportunities so that they can train together, because in WA they compete together, so that’s been the main focus,” he says.

Mr Mead says the unit will make a difference to preparations for Brisbane 2032.

“The para unit being launched in every state in Australia will ensure that Brisbane will be a success, and we need to work to ensure that happens,” he says.

“There is lots of things that we can focus on now, and we need to make sure that it isn’t forgotten.”

General manager for performance systems and paralympic partnerships for the Australian Institute of Sport Bill Tait says this is only the beginning for para-athletes.

“It’s probably one of the biggest changes the high performance sport system has made, but we really think we can have the greatest year of paralympic sport this country has ever seen, and become world leaders in paralympic innovation,” he says.

“We have so much potential and an athlete population who desperately wants to compete. It is only the beginning.”

Bill Tait