APC calls time on inequality one year since London 2012

Marking the one year anniversary of the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) Chief Executive Jason Hellwig says there must be a policy shift in the way government and corporate Australia approaches Paralympic sport.

Hellwig says despite the intensified interest in Paralympic sport post-London, under-valuing the social impact of Paralympic sport must stop immediately.

He explains "we have come to a point where we are breaking new ground in Australian sport and that has a major implication on the lives of people with an impairment."

Hellwig has called on federal and state governments to pump more support into community and participation sport if they are really serious about improving the lives of Australians with an impairment.

Off the back of the overwhelming success of the 2012 Paralympic Team which finished fifth on the medal tally with 32 gold, 23 silver and 30 bronze medals, millions tuned into watch the Games each night, with unprecedented levels of media coverage and exposure across Australia.

Hellweg stated "the audience London created was huge, it was unprecedented and the really positive thing is that audience has maintained its interest in Paralympic sport. The people of Australia get Paralympic sport now.

"Where we still struggle is in the political arena where all sporting organisations are competing for a slice of the funding pie. The rise of Paralympic sport requires major policy changes around how it is supported and delivered by government so that we can better resource community sport and increase participation numbers, but not to the detriment of our high performance programs.

"We have to invest in all levels of the pathway. If you only invest in one bit of it, the whole thing will fall over because you can't have one without the other."

Since London, the APC has redesigned its strategic goals to focus more on delivering better sporting opportunities throughout community sporting clubs, and associations, on top of delivering the best Paralympic Teams to the Paralympic Games.

He added "we want to see the emergence of stronger pathways, stronger community engagement, and most importantly a greater volume of people with an impairment feeling welcome when they turn up to any sporting club and having a great experience. That for me is a really powerful driver for what we're trying to achieve at the moment.

"At a federal level, the introduction of Disability Care Australia is a great step forward for people with an impairment and we can help provide a quality framework for sport and active recreation.

"Bringing more elite Paralympic sporting competitions to Australia is one way we can boost the profile of the sport, and show federal and state governments, and the corporate Australia firsthand the power Paralympic sport has.

"The APC has worked hard to help bring the international Alpine Skiing World Cup to Thredbo next week, the Be the Influence Wheelchair Rugby Tri-Nations to Sydney in September as well as international boccia and table tennis tournaments later in the year, all to help our athletes and our cause.

"One year on from London we have a clear picture of what Paralympic sport in Australia should look like in the future and we will do everything we can to ensure that vision becomes a reality for Australians with an impairment."