23 Sep 2008
Outgoing Australian Sports Commission (ASC) CEO Mark Peters has paid tribute to Australia’s Paralympians for their outstanding success at the Beijing Games.

‘The ASC is very proud of the incredible sporting achievements at the Paralympics over the last 11 days. The performances of Matthew Cowdrey, Peter Leek and Rick Pendleton in the pool and Lisa McIntosh, Heath Francis and Evan O’Hanlon on the track have been nothing short of spectacular,’ Peters said.

‘I would also like to acknowledge the crucial role that coaches, sports scientists, team managers and other support staff played at the Paralympics. They have contributed so much to Australia’s performance.

‘Australia finished fifth on the gold medal table and fourth on overall medals, which is a pleasing result and one which the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) will gain great encouragement from and build on with the London 2012 Paralympics on the horizon,’ he said.

Peters went on to praise the work of the APC.

‘The APC works tirelessly with the ASC to fund, support and improve opportunities for Australia’s elite-level athletes with disability, and should be very proud of the way the Australian team has performed in terms of medals and personal bests, as well as participating in the spirit of the Paralympics.’

The Australian Government, through the ASC, is a long-time supporter of our Paralympians.

During the current Paralympic cycle, the ASC has worked strategically with the APC to plan for a successful Beijing Paralympic campaign.

This partnership included more than $26 million in ASC funding dedicated to assisting Australia’s Paralympic athletes in their sporting endeavours.

The ASC also provided in excess of $1 million through the Australian Government Sport Training Scheme to targeted athletes from the sports of rowing, powerlifting, equestrian, men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball, cycling, athletics, shooting, table tennis, wheelchair rugby, tennis and swimming, to assist in their preparation for Beijing.

In early 2008, the Australian Government confirmed its continued support of the APC, with an additional $22.8 million in funding over a five-year period.

This funding underpinned the APC’s national campaign to contest the 2008 Beijing Games, and lays the groundwork for the 2010 Winter Games and the 2012 Summer Games.

The funding will also provide an enhanced capacity to support Australian Paralympic athletes contesting other international events and assist in the televising of the Paralympics.