Category: Paralympic Games
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Forging Champions : a review
By Greg Blood The recent documentary Forging Champions has shone a light on several outstanding Australian athletes assisted by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) that have had significant success on the world sporting stage. This review examines themes, messages and omissions from the documentary. I had a small involvement at the early stages of…
australiansportreflections
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Re-elected Albanese Government: Reflecting on Upcoming Sport Issues from a Historical Perspective
By Greg Blood The return of the Albanese government has led to the reappointment of Anika Wells as the Minister for Sport and new Minister for Communications and the move of sport functions to Dept. of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts. This article reflects on these changes from an historical and…
australiansportreflections
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Reflecting on Greg Hartung’s Induction into the Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame
By Greg Blood Hartung as Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) President led it from a small disability sports organisation with limited funding and resources to a well-resourced national sports organisation that is now an important part of Australian’s integrated high-performance sport system. In 2020, I was fortunate to gain great insights into Hartung’s significant sport administration…
australiansportreflections
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Coaches of Australian 2024 Summer Paralympic Medallists
By Greg Blood This list recognises Australian coaching success at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. It follows the recognition of Australian coaches of 2024 Olympic medallists. After the 2024 Paris Paralympics, several academics in The Conversation raised issues related to the development of coaches of Paralympic athletes. The early development of coaches of athletes with a disability…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Officials at 2024 Paris Olympics & Paralympics
By Greg Blood Listed are Australian officials at the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics – most likely the pinnacle of their officiating career. These officials were selected by their relevant international sports federations not the Australian Olympic Committee or Paralympics Australia. It is important to recognise sports officials as they are one of the foundations…
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Movement of Australian Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Between Nations : Historical Insights
By Greg Blood The movement of 2024 triple Olympic medallist Matthew Richardson to Great Britain has been scrutinised in the media and social media. Richardson’s move is relatively rare for an Australian high performing Olympic and Paralympic athlete. It is important to recognise Australian sport has greatly benefited from athletes from competitor nations transferring to…
australiansportreflections
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Review of Australian Team Sports at the Olympics and Paralympics 1908-2024 – Updated
By Greg Blood The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be another test of the strength of Australia’s Olympic and Paralympic team sports. Since 2012, there has been a decline in the medals won by Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams sports. From 1996 to 2012, team sports won more than one medal at the Games.…
australiansportreflections
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Para-Table Tennis in Australia – A Journey from Hospital Wards to High Performance Innovation
By Arthur Wilks and Tony Naar, June 2024 Documents the development of para-table tennis Australia from 1957 Stoke Mandeville Games to 2020 Toyko Paralympics. Lists Australian athletes that have competed in every major international competition. 56 page PDF document (2.7 KB)
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Australian 2023 International Sporting Performances – Will They Be Replicated at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics?
By Greg Blood In November 2023, Gracenote predicted that Australia would win 50 medals including 15 gold at the 2024 Olympics. Listed are Australian world champions and medal performance in Olympic, Paralympic and other major sports in 2023 that most likely would have feed into this prediction. Swimmers led the way topping the medal table…
australiansportreflections
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It’s Time for Participation to Receive its Fair Share of the Sports Funding Pie
Greg Blood The cost-of-living crisis in Australia has the likelihood of decreasing participation in sport and fitness activities. This follows on from the impact of COVID on sport participation. Traditionally Federal Government funding has been directed more heavily towards high performance i.e., success of Australian athletes and teams on the international sporting arena. Is it…
australiansportreflections