Meet the AIS Engineers reshaping Australian Para-sport

Tucked inside the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra is a workshop where ideas become reality for Australia’s Para-athletes. Here, the AIS Engineering team creates bespoke equipment and solutions that cannot be found on any shelf and, in many cases, anywhere else in the world.

“I like to say this is where the magic happens,” AIS Engineering Lead Andy Richardson said.

“We're a team of nine sports engineers and a machinist and what we do is create customised individual sporting equipment solutions for our athletes, the type of solutions that are not commercially available.”

Engineering Project Advisor Callum McNamara said the team’s work spans everything from subtle adjustments to major, purpose-built systems.

“The equipment can range from simple adaptations to existing equipment, or to large scale testing infrastructure to help athletes get the best out of themselves,” McNamara said.

“Within Australian sport, I think we are unique, even internationally I think we are fairly exceptional. To our knowledge we have few peers within sports engineering and that certainly gives our Australian athletes an edge.”

While AIS Engineering has a long and successful history working within sport, record Australian Government investment through the Para Uplift is allowing the team to support more athletes and sports than ever before.

“The Para Uplift has been great for us and great for the system,” Richardson said.

“We’ve had an injection of funding from the Australian Sports Commission and the federal government and we’ve been able to increase the team size with two more sports engineers.”

AIS Director Matti Clements said the initiative is delivering meaningful impact where it is needed most.

“The Para Uplift has been a game changer for this country,” Clements said.

“Money going directly to Para-athletes and changing individuals’ lives, that’s exactly what the investment was for.”

To give Australians a closer look at this work, and the athletes it supports, the AIS is releasing a new video series that showcases the engineers, their innovations and their role within the Para Uplift. The series highlights how this behind-the-scenes expertise contributes to ensuring Australia’s current and future Paralympians have what they need to succeed on the road to Brisbane 2032 and beyond.

Follow the series on AIS social channels or learn more about the Para Uplift here.