Australia Highlights 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympic Team
The Minister for Sport Kate Ellis today announced the members of the 2010 Australian Winter Paralympic Team to compete in Canada from 12 – 21 March 2010.
The Australian team includes 11 athletes and three guides for vision impaired athletes. Fifteen staff will support the athletes at events at Vancouver and Whistler.
“It is a great honour and achievement to represent Australia and these athletes have worked long and hard to earn their place in the national team,” Ms Ellis said.
“Australia will be cheering for them as they strive to reach their athletic goals at one of the world’s premier sporting competitions.”
For the first time the Australian team includes two female athletes – Jessica Gallagher and Melissa Perrine.
“It’s great to see more women reaching the highest echelons of Paralympic achievement. These athletes are pioneers and will inspire those women who will come after them,” Ms Ellis said.
The team also includes the greatest number of Nordic skiers ever selected in an Australian Winter Paralympic team with James Millar and Dominic Monypenny selected to represent the nation.
Monypenny will make his Winter Paralympics debut in cross country skiing after competing at the 2008 Summer Paralympics as a rower.
Several members have enjoyed recent success including Super G skier Shannon Dallas and slalom competitor Cameron Rahles-Rahbula, who are both current World Champions, and 2006 Winter Paralympic Super G bronze medallist Toby Kane.
“I congratulate all the athletes that have been selected in the Australian team. They are an inspiration to the nation and I wish them every success in Canada.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities Bill Shorten said team includes a mix of youth and experience, presenting a great opportunity for success now and into the future.”
“Australia’s Paralympians have a proud record of sporting achievement on the world stage, and I am confident this group will add to that record,” Mr Shorten said.
“They also serve as trailblazers for people with disability by showing the rest of Australia that impairment is no barrier to having courage, determination and success,” he said.
About 600 athletes from 45 countries will compete at the tenth Winter Paralympic Games.
Today’s announcement comes in an exciting week for Paralympic Sport in Australia, with APC President Greg Hartung elected Vice-President of the International Paralympic Committee and the IPC ruling for the re-inclusion of athletes with an intellectual disability into the Paralympic Games.
Topics: 2010 Paralympics, Australia, Canada, Governance, national team, Paralympic Team, society, sports, Vancouver, vision impared athletes, Women
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