Australia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
| Australia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||
| IPC code | AUS | ||||||||
| NPC | Australian Paralympic Committee | ||||||||
| Website | www |
||||||||
| in Rio de Janeiro | |||||||||
| Competitors | 176 in 16 sports | ||||||||
| Flag bearer | Brad Ness (Opening) Curtis McGrath (Closing) | ||||||||
|
Medals Ranked 5th |
|
||||||||
| Summer Paralympics appearances (overview) | |||||||||
Australia competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. Australia repeated its 2012 Summer Paralympics achievement in finishing fifth of the medal tally.
Notable achievements at the Games:
In May 2015, the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) announced Kate McLoughlin as the Chef de Mission. She replaced Jason Hellwig, the former APC CEO, who stepped down from the role. The APC appointed Kurt Fearnley and Daniela Di Toro as team captains. 2004 Athens Games was the last time the team had captains. Wheelchair basketballer Brad Ness was announced as the Opening Ceremony flag bearer at a ceremony at the Paralympic Village on 5 September 2016.Curtis McGrath who lost his legs in the Afghanistan war and won Australia's first gold medal in paracanoe at the Games carried the Australian flag in the closing ceremony.
The APC stated that it needed to raise $7 million to fund its Rio 2016 campaign. The majority of APC's funding to send Australian teams to major events originates from fundraising. In January 2016, it launched the Australian Paralympic Foundation to manage its fundraising. Cadbury made the first major donation of $1 million. In the four-year period leading up to Rio, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) provided $62 million in funding. At the Team Launch, Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull stated that the Australian Government had provided close to $65 million direct funding to support the 167 athletes with a disability in the lead-up to Rio. ." To assist with funding raising, its broadcast partner Seven Network organized a Parathon on 5 March 2016.
The Official Australian Paralympic Team Launch was held in Sydney on 20 June 2016. The major dignitaries present were Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, Federal Minister for Sport, Sussan Ley, the Shadow Minister for Sport, Dr Jim Chalmers and the New South Wales Minister for Sport, Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres. The Launch was held during the 2016 Australian Federal Election. There were more than 30 Rio hopefuls and representatives from each Australian Paralympic Team since 1960 in attendance.Glenn Tasker, Australian Paralympic Committee President stated that "We are not just chasing medals, we are aspiring to shape attitudes and perceptions of disability and to build on the huge momentum and growth that the Paralympic movement is experiencing.” Prime Minister Turnbull said: "I want to salute the achievements of all of our Paralympians past and present. I want to wish you all the best on the road to Rio. you are doing our nation such great service. We are with you, we are with you all the way, we back you all the way, all the way to Rio."
...
Wikipedia