Australia at the 2000 Summer Paralympics

• Siobhan Paton won six gold medals in S14 swimming events and set six world records
• Timothy Sullivan won five gold medals and set five world records in athletics
• Neil Fuller, a leg amputee sprinter, won four gold medals and one bronze medal and was flag bearer at the closing ceremony
• Lisa Llorens won three gold medals and one silver medal in athletics
• Greg Smith in wheelchair athletics events won three gold medals
• Lisa McIntosh won three gold medals in athletics
• Athletes who won two individual gold medals were: Louise Sauvage, Russell Short, Amy Winters, Julie Higgins, Kingsley Bugarin, and Gemma Dashwood.

Context

Background

• Anne Clark Netball Centre, Lidcombe – Volleyball,
• Dunc Gray Velodrome, Bass Hill – Cycling,
• Equestrian Centre, Horsley Park – Equestrian,
• Exhibition Halls, Darling Harbour – Judo, Wheelchair Fencing,
• Sailing Marina, Rushcutters Bay – Sailing
• Shooting Centre, Cecil Park – Shooting
• Sydney Olympic Park – Archery, Athletics, Basketball, Boccia, Football, Goalball, Powerlifting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Tennis.

Team

Medalists

Archery

Athletics

Controversy

"If she comes out and wins, people will say that she got a second bit at the cherry. And if she loses, she has lost twice."

Basketball (Intellectual Disability)

Controversy

Boccia

Cycling

Equestrian

Fencing

Football (7 a Side)

Goalball

Judo

Powerlifting

Sailing

Shooting

Swimming

Table Tennis

Volleyball

Wheelchair Basketball

Women's tournament

Rank	Team	Pld	W	L	PF:PA	Pts		AUS	NED	USA	GBR
1	Australia|2000 Summern/a|x Men's tournament Men Troy Andrews, Sandy Blythe, David Gould, Shaun Groenewegen, Gerry Hewson, Adrian King, Michael McFawn, Nick Morris, Brad Ness, Shane Porter, Brook Quinn, Troy Sachs Officials Coaches – Bob Turner, Michael Walker, Richard Oliver; Managers – Fred Heidt, John Camens, Graham Gould Group B Results and Standings Rank Team Pld W L PF:PA Pts NED FRA AUS SWE JPN KOR 1 Netherlands|2000 Summern/a|x Wheelchair Rugby Australia represented in wheelchair rugby by: Men Bryce Alman, Brett Boylan, Cliff Clarke, Garry Croker, Brad Dubberley, Nazim Erdem, Peter Harding, George Hucks, Tom Kennedy, Craig Parsons, Steve Porter, Patrick Ryan Coaches – Terry Vinyard, Glenn Stephens, Nicholas Bailey Officials – Kim Elwood, David Bonavita, Wendy Poole The team known as the 'Steelers' won the silver medal after losing to the World and Paralympic champions, United States by one point in the final. Group A Results and Standings Rank Team Pld W L PF:PA Pts USA AUS SWE SUI 1 United States|2000 Summern/a|x Wheelchair Tennis Australia represented in wheelchair tennis by: Men David Hall, David Johnson Women Daniela di Toro, Branka Pupovac Coach – Greg Crump Australia had very impressive results making three finals out of four and winning 1 gold and 2 silver medals. David Hall took home one gold and one silver medal. Administration and support Members of the headquarters team were: Administration Paul Bird, Keith Gilbert, Greg Campbell, Tony Naar, Robyn Smith, John Watkins, Rod Anderson, Melinda Richards, Eve Bampfield, Carmel Williams, Graham Edwards, Rodney Nugent, Anne Brunnell, Rebecca Hill, Dianne Watson, Shona Halson, Andrea Davidson, Nadia Brandon-Black, Murray Lydeamore, Karen Hellwig, Louise Mogg, Simon Reffold, Jillian Lennon, Bronwyn Campbell, Joel Lipman, Kellie Urquhart, Jenni Banks, Tracy Lawrence, Ross Boyd, Sharon Palmer, Michael Blucher, Peter Kelly, Victoria Carthew, Sally Nelson, Phyllis Sakinofsky Australia Medical Staff Jane Buckley, David Millions, Kevin Boundy, Syd Bourke, Kathy Merlehan, Jenny Nucifora, Craig Boettcher, Greg Ungerer, Mark Stokes, David Spurrier, Dimi Argyros, Allan Thomas, Joann Marr, Maria Di Michele, Vicki de Prazer, Gavin Freeman, John Woods Community links and volunteers The SPOC identified the importance of reaching out the community in order to develop community awareness of the games, and to improve community relations. To achieve this, Community Support Programs were developed by the SPOC in 1998 and included partnership programs, a national education program, Ride 2000 and sports demonstrations. The aims of these initiatives were to "establish links with multicultural communities, service groups, local community events and disability groups to enhance community support"' One of the initiatives from the SPOC in partnership with the NSW Department of Education and Training, was the introduction of a new curriculum to schools called 'Set no limits'. The package involved an official school excursion to the Paralympic Games for Australian school children, and included the official mascot of the games, 'Lizzie' the frill neck lizard. The National Education Program aimed for school children to understand how to be more tolerant, however no official measures of attitudes were evaluated. Demonstrations of disability sport were also conducted at Australian schools, shopping centres and other public events. These demonstrations were organised by the SPOC and APC, and included popular Paralympic sports such as wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby. The appearances of the Australian team athletes in these demonstrations was originally volunteer and un-paid, however later a fee of $500 was negotiated per appearance. Rides 2000 was another community awareness initiative developed by Sue-Ellen Lovett, an equestrian rider and director of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Board. During this time Lovett participated in long distance rides to regional Australia in order to raise awareness of, and funds for the Paralympic Games. The rides included: 1997: Melbourne to Sydney 1998: Brisbane to Sydney 1999: Adelaide to Sydney 2000: Moree to Sydney These 'community support programs' assisted in raising community awareness in the lead up to the games. For these reasons, and also due to the success of the previous Olympic games, a 'party atmosphere' was created which continued into the Paralympic games. This attracted numerous spectators to the games, including new groups joining the 'Paralympic party'. These groups encompassed "those who were critical of the Olympics but supported the Paralympics as it was not perceived as a corporatised event", seniors and also school children who could not afford the Olympic Games. The Australian Government at the time also showed political support of the games. A post-Games dinner was held including 70 parliamentarians, that aimed to ensure continual government and private funding for the games in years to come. Former Deputy Leader of the Federal Coalition, Tim Fischer was also involved in the Games, overseeing the Paralympic Village in the role of mayor. The community was also involved in the games through volunteer roles. The partnership between the SPOC and SOCOG lead to 15,000 volunteers being recruited for the Paralympic games. Volunteers were trained by Technical and Further Education New South Wales. The volunteers participated in a range of disability awareness training activities in preparation for the games. It was also noted that a "larger number of volunteers had disabilities themselves, highlighting the accessibility of all aspects of the venues and overlay". Two incidents were reported where volunteers felt discriminated against as they had a disability. Media coverage and operations It's estimated that approximately 3.9 billion people viewed the Sydney Paralympic Games, across 220 countries. Australian commercial television station Channel 7 paid $45 million for the rights to broadcast the games, however later declined to do so as it regarded the investment too high risk. Simon Thomas, the SPOC's senior television manager was quoted as saying: Later, it was decided that Australian national broadcaster, ABC, would broadcast the games on ABC local radio and on ABC television. ABC had previous experience covering the Paralympics in 1992 and 1996. The television coverage included 40 hours of live action, with 2 hours per weekday and 20 hours on the grandstand program during both weekends. Over a total of 17 days, there were more than 8 million Metropolitan viewers and almost 4 million Regional viewers. The opening and closing ceremonies placed in the top 20 ABC most popular programs for the season. The ABC sports also set up an interactive website, with quizzes, athlete profiles and results. The relationship between the SOCOG and the SPOC resulted in providing improved media coverage for both the Olympics and Paralympics. Media operations were planned to limit the potential for complaint by both local Australian and overseas media, to result in better Paralympic Games reviews. This approach by Australian media was taken in response to the previous limitations of the Atlanta Paralympics. Australia was heavily involved in the media coverage of the Paralympics, namely through the role of volunteers. The table below outlines the staffing numbers of the Media Centre at the Olympics and Paralympics respectively: Total Number Peak Shift Number Paid 114 Olympics 70 Paralympics 114 Olympics 70 Paralympics Volunteer 1113 Olympics 253 Paralympics 340 Olympics 80 Paralympics Contractor 1078 Olympics 223 Paralympics 490 Olympics 70 Paralympics The Main Media Centre for the Paralympics opened on 11 October, and from 18–29 October ran 24 hours a day. Coupled with the MMC was a research and information office, including a library run by Wayne Peak, the SOCOG Communications officer. Staff from the Centre for Olympic Studies at the University of New South Wales also assisted the running of the library. WeMedia provided internet coverage of the games, and was a sponsor and partner of the Sydney Paralympics. During the games, WeMedia had 300 staff operating in the MMC. Creative production of the WeMedia webcast was led by Jason Snyder. The official broadcaster of the games ABC, had a comparatively smaller team of 30 for its television coverage. Australian Paralympic Movement Through increased media coverage and community support, the Australian athletes who participated at the 2000 Summer Paralympic games have left a lasting impression. Future Paralympians and the APC are left with the gift of a legacy from these athletes. Information into the attitude towards the Paralympics was sought through the APC in conjunction with Woolcott Research over a two-year period. The statistics are listed below: 93% of Australians believe Paralympic athletes are elite and train as hard as able-bodied athletes 87% of Australians believe they should receive equal or more funding than Olympic athletes 71% of Australians want to know personal stories about the athletes 72% of Australians believe that Paralympic athletes do not receive the attention deserved to them The success of the Australian Paralympic team during the 2000 Summer games paves the way for a strong argument related to increased funding, education and infrastructure. After the 2000 games, 54 Australian athletes were later awarded part-time scholarships to attend the Australian Institute of Sport. The value of these scholarships was approximately $1000 and recognised the value of Paralympic sport. Following the Games, the Australian Paralympic Committee became the legacy recipient of the nation with respect to recognition, funding, sport organisation and capacity development. Attaining this title and the consequent recognition, further resulted in "government funding with a 150% increase" for up to seven years after the Games. This facilitated the mainstreaming of certain aspects of the Paralympic sporting bodies, which were described to have "gained benefits" through better "training, coaching and professional sport organisations". On the other hand, due to competing interests involving individuals without disabilities, the mainstreaming after-effects were also described to be placing a "lower priority for resources" amongst the disabled sporting community. In general, the increased recognition provided an opportunity to target diverse demographics amongst coaches, teachers, students and the public, by "delivering disability education programmes" to approximately 39,000 individuals. In 2009, the Australian Paralympics Committee established the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies as an initiative to preserve and protect the "historic, sporting and business information" that was acquired through the Paralympic Movement. After its formation, the APC collaborated with the National Library of Australia via a formal agreement for the "Paralympic oral history project", to capture and promote the preservation of Australian "history and sporting culture". In general, this collaboration occurred in September 2010, to "mark the 50th anniversary of the Paralympic Games", and the project involved conducting interviews of athletes who participated in the first Games in 1960. This led to the recording of "66 interviews" which initially focused on the first Paralympians. Some of these interviews featured individuals who were described to have played "key roles" in the Australian Paralympic movement’s development. This included Anne Green, who was a Paralympics swimming coach and administrator, and the captain of his team at the 1968 Games, Dr. John Yeo. With time, this was followed by the project shifting in direction and expanding its focus to involve other athletes as well. However, this attempt has been subjected to criticism by members of the Australian Paralympic Oral History Project, as they hold the view that it is essential for the APC to include "narratives from actual participants", instead of focusing on "proxy or interpretive accounts" from those who are not part of the disabled community. Twenty years after Australia’s 2000 Paralympic Games, the winning participants reflected on their past and present experiences, describing the event’s impact as one that has strongly shifted "Australia’s perception of disabilities". Former wheelchair racer, Louise Sauvage current focus centres around training, guiding and assisting other Paralympians to "achieve their goals" to contribute to the future of this movement. Tim Matthews, a former relay team member claimed that "there was no doubt the Sydney event was a watershed moment for the disability movement" which extends to the global community. As Tim believes that the disabled community has a "voice and a lot more exposure" today, his priorities centre around "giving back" by training and supporting members of Paralympics Australia, as well as working as a talent spotter for the organisation. In addition, the Games were utilised as a platform to showcase the culture of Indigenous Australian peoples to participants and audiences from different nations. The culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was described to be "rich", and the SOCOG worked in close collaboration with their communities to display their culture on a global scale, with the attempt to be inclusive in their approach. The SOCOG also worked towards actively engaging Indigenous communities during the Games, to provide them with commercial, promotional, employment, ceremonies and cultural design opportunities. This was actioned by its establishment of a National Indigenous Advisory Committee, which was delegated the responsibility to monitor and review the "cultural content, themes, materials and protocol" with respect to the events. These events ranged from Olympics ceremonies, the Volunteers program, Olympics Arts Festivals, "traditional welcoming ceremonies" to the Olympic Youth Camp. In particular, the Torch Relay was described to have paid a tribute to "many significant" and sacred Indigenous sites. The Relay event both commenced and concluded with the recognition of Aboriginal athletes Nova Peris-Kneebone and Cathy Freeman, respectively. Additionally, in the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, the torch was carried by an Indigenous athlete and wheelchair basketball player named Kevin Coombs. Coombs had participated in the first Paralympic Games held in Rome in 1960 and was also assigned the role of serving as team captain during the 1980 Games. Honouring the athletes On 31 October, Australia Post began releasing stamps honouring a number of successful Paralympic athletes from the games. Featured on a 45c stamp was Siobhan Paton as the "Paralympian of the Year". Senator Lundy, on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, congratulated the athletes as well as coaches and supporting staff. She acknowledged the important dedication the athletes showed in making the games 'the best ever'. Athlete testimonials Louise Sauvage later wrote of the 2000 Summer Paralympics and said: Kurt Fearnley looked back at his success during his debut games: Games outcomes By nature, and based on "conventional wisdom", the Paralympic Games provided a platform for Sydney’s disabled community to be granted the opportunity for a "lasting legacy" of an increased degree of disability awareness and the development of accessible infrastructure, which would ultimately improve the demographic’s socioeconomic status. To achieve such outcomes, the OCA was delegated the role of "developing a sustainable long-term plan" in relation to design, construction and the overall operation of the venues. This was in response to the limited accessibility issue faced by the disabled community. Roles including the distribution of event information, ticketing and entire operation of the Games were conducted by the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee. Overall, the OCA undertook its responsibility by developing Access Guidelines, forming a body known as the Olympic Access Advisory Committee to specifically devise plans for disability and access issues, tailor-making an access guide for the Games and providing a critical written reflection on the event’s access operations. As majority of the sporting events occurred at Sydney Olympic Park, the delivery of these enhancements for the disabled community was described as an "example of world best practice", and the venue has been regarded as the "premier access precinct in Australia". For example, prior to the Games, Sydney’s public transport system was not accessible to the disabled population, as "0% of public and private buses were accessible" and "less than 5% of rail stations accessible". The Olympic Roads and Transport Authority was formed to plan, enable and maintain coordination between OCA, SOCOG and transport authorities. In response to the gap in accessing the public transport system, the ORTA was required to fulfil its role, however, minimal work was "undertaken to improve the access situation" in preparation for the Games. After the games, the Paralympic mascot 'Lizzie' was made available for the Australian public to purchase through Franklin stores. The Australian Paralympic Committee successfully claimed the rights to the mascot following the breakup of the SPOC. The APC saw value in the continuation and retention of the mascot in the community. Prime Minister at the time John Howard announced increased government funding for Paralympic sport in the future. On 23 October 2000, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Howard had committed to proving the Paralympians the same percentage increase as the Olympians. Involvement of the NSW Government The Olympic Co-ordination Authority holds the view that measuring the "success" of the Games is not confined to the "performance of Games venues and events", but also entails the "festive atmosphere, access, ease of movement, security and urban amenity" which shape the overall experience of tourists, local residents and participants. To fund and regulate the entire experience, the NSW government established bodies such as OCA, SPOC and SOCOG. Although SPOC and SOCOG are independent and unique entities, they are similar in function and complement one another. Due to this, "economies of scale" and operational efficiencies have been accomplished by collaboration between "operational methods and personnel". The NSW Government’s involvement in conducting sporting events and providing public services was fully coordinated by the OCA. Additionally, the OCA was responsible for managing the "Government’s relationship" with the other actively involved organisations, SPOC and SOCOG, as well as providing the NSW Government with ongoing reports about the expenditures. The Government also created and funded other organisations to cater for all aspects of the Games such as health, water management, transport and security. For example, the purpose of the Olympic Security Command Centre was to assign a "security and intelligence team" from NSW Police with the responsibility of meeting security requirements through organisation, preparation and management.