Huge Win for Paralympic Medalists

Huge Win for Paralympic Medalists

Whether you’re a sports fan or not, this news is a huge win for the disability community. The government has announced it will reward our Paralympic medalists with equivalent payments to those of Olympic medalists. And rightly so.

In their post-event interviews, Paralympian athletes have been advocating for inclusion and equity in sport and society. They were fighting for much more than the 80 medals they received.

Prior to this announcement, para-athletes didn’t get financial recognition from Paralympics Australia, which doesn't have the funds to give out bonuses. Yet Olympians are rewarded by the Australian Olympic Committee with prizes of up to $20,000 for reaching a podium.

As reported by the SBS News, Australia’s Paralympic medalists are now set to be given pay equivalent to their Olympic counterparts after the federal government announced it would give Paralympics Australia extra funding.

Mr Morrison and Minister for Sport Richard Colbeck are quoted as saying "Australia’s para-athletes have represented our nation with great distinction and pride in Tokyo, delivering performances that have buoyed millions during what is a difficult time for the nation," it said.

"Like their Olympic counterparts, Paralympians often have to make major sacrifices in their lives foregoing family and work to train and compete nationally and internationally."

As 13 days of events wrapped up and the closing ceremony took place on Sunday, 5th September, we applaud this equity and recognition award for our successful Tokyo Games medallists; and for all the Paralympic athletes who hopefully have inspired us to keep fighting for change at the government level.