A few weeks back I wrote here about the magic of the Olympics and how it has captured my attention and imagination since I was a kid.
I am no less captivated by the Paralympics.
Yesterday I had the extraordinary privilege of welcoming home the Australian Paralympic team in Sydney.
Children, families, fans and, surprise surprise, politicians waited patiently in a packed hangar at Sydney Airport to greet our Paralympic heroes.
Among them were Madison de Rozario, who won a stunning silver medal just days after her father passed away, rowing star Thomas Birtwhistle and wheelchair rugby bronze medallist Matt Lewis.
The power and passion of Paralympians was palpable.
These athletes deserve the same hype as their able-bodied Olympic compatriots. They are every bit as incredible.
It’s even in the name, “para”, meaning parallel to or existing side-by-side.
They have the same heartbreak, same pain as Olympic athletes.
The same drive and dedication to get to this pinnacle.
Years and years of preparation, and extraordinary endurance, can end with golden glory or be over in seconds.
The reality is, Paralympians should be household names.
They should be as widely celebrated and talked about as our highly decorated Olympians.
We should be learning about their stories and sharing them across social media, in conversations with friends and at the dinner table.
Alongside Aussie legends Emma McKeon, Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman, we should be talking about how Matt Cowdrey won eight medals in para-swimming events at the London 2012 Paralympics alone.
How Louise Sauvage OAM broke the world record for the 100m wheelchair race at just age 16 and went on to become one of the greatest Australian para-athletes of all time.
How Thomas Gallagher almost lost his life following a pancreas attack at the Tokyo Paralympics, then returned four years later to win gold in the men’s S10 50m freestyle in Paris.
Every interview after every event, the athletes were gasping for breath, beaming with pride and pure happiness to have competed and represented their country.
Many saying how “stoked” they were at their incredible efforts. Their country was even more proud and stoked of them, too.
After meeting the Paralympians yesterday, I can’t help but reflect on my experience at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing and relive that feeling of anticipation and excitement.
Australia’s athletic ability is top-tier and mesmerising to watch — often an emotional rollercoaster.
The experience of watching the Australian Rollers hold the lead against Canada in the last quarter of the men’s wheelchair basketball final and then claim the gold, 72-60, at the Paralympic Games in Beijing was as exhilarating as seeing Collingwood win a flag.
I will never forget when the buzzer went off and some of the athletes broke down in tears, realising what they’d just accomplished.
One of the stars of the Rollers was the 17-year-old young gun Dylan Alcott. When I dropped by to see the team after their win, I walked past Dylan taking an ice bath and, when I asked him if it was cold in there, he told me to try it for myself. So I hopped in, fully clothed.
Beijing was also where I first got to know five-time Paralympian and three-time gold medallist, Kurt Fearnley who, as well as being the first person with a disability to chair the board of the National Disability Insurance Agency, is also a good friend who I hold in the highest regard.
“It’s the best of the best giving everything for their country. Australian athletes like Jarryd Clifford, Chad Perris and Alexa Leary, are inspiring because of their incredible performances, medal or not,” Kurt said from Paris last week.
“People may see a two-week event but I have a view that goes years back and into the future. Being here as a Paralympic fan and not a competitor for the first time, reminds me I’m long-time retired but also fills me with great excitement that we have our own games in Brisbane 2032 and I can’t wait to keep telling the story of disability in our country through sport.”
Australia has sent a team to every Paralympics since their inception in 1960 Rome, Italy.
And today, in 2024 we have 160 para-athletes competing and making sporting history in Paris, France.
In my opinion, there is a case for it occurring more frequently than every four years, so great is its impact on the athletes and for equality.
The Albanese Government is proud to support our Summer Olympians and Paralympians, with more than $47 million provided directly to athletes, and more than $398 million in high-performance funding provided to sports during the three-year period leading to Paris.
And last month we made the biggest investment ever by an Australian Government to address systemic and structural performance barriers for Para-athletes.
We’ve come a long way in terms of what these games represent — celebrating the immense skills of our Para-athletes and their ability to achieve remarkable feats of strength, speed and mobility.
The Paralympics is a world stage for our elite athletes to shine upon and our younger generation looks up to these athletes as role models.
Our Paralympians don’t just inspire us but teach us.
Kurt has also said that, over the decades, the Paralympics has become less about just participation and more about competitive excellence — the acknowledgement of the skill and dedication needed to become a world-class athlete.
Australia is well past the “overcome adversity” attitude.
Stop looking at the impairment and instead see the whole person.
Celebrate the athletic achievements of our Paralympians like you would any Olympian.
Learn about the classifications.
Read the stories of our Paralympians and the journeys they have taken to get to this point in their sporting careers.
They have made us all proud and showed us how passion and hard work makes a world-class athlete.