The Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) has today launched the state’s first dedicated Para Sport Unit – a game-changing initiative designed to drive future Paralympic success on the road to Brisbane 2032 and beyond.
Located just a few kilometres from where the Australian Paralympic movement began at the Shenton Park Rehabilitation Hospital, the WAIS Para Unit represents a powerful full-circle moment. It honours Western Australia’s rich history in Para sport while opening new doors for the next generation of athletes to dream, strive, and train for Paralympic glory.
Delivered in partnership with the Australian Government through the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Paralympics Australia (PA), and the Western Australian Government, the WAIS Para Unit is part of the national Para Uplift strategy – the largest ever investment in Paralympic sport in Australia’s history.
“Australia is leading the world when it comes to providing our Para athletes the environment and resources they need to reach their full potential. We want Brisbane to be our best ever Paralympic Games and the Para Uplift and sport units are key to achieving that goal,” Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Executive General Manager of AIS Performance Matti Clements said.
“We have now launched five Para Sport Units in six months, meaning our athletes are more supported than ever before.”
The WAIS Para Unit will support a coordinated, nationwide approach to reduce barriers to participation and talent identification, enhance performance pathways, and develop world-class Para sport coaches in a supportive and inclusive high-performance environment.
The primary focus of the WAIS Para Unit is to boost participation in Para sport across Western Australia, discover untapped talent, and increase the nation’s medal prospects at future benchmark events – in line with Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy (Win Well Strategy).
“Para-athletes continue to be a powerful source of inspiration, yet many still encounter significant challenges that prevent them from fully engaging in both community and high-performance sport,” said WAIS CEO Matt Fulton.
“Unless we take deliberate action, these barriers will remain – limiting participation, creating inequity, and weakening our pathway to success not just for Brisbane 2032, but for generations to come.”
The Unit will support 40 athletes per year (over a two-year period), including individuals newly discovering Para sport, early emerging talent, pre-categorised athletes, and sport transfer athletes. These athletes will receive access to a variety of sports, high-quality coaching, foundational athletic and technical skill development, and essential performance support services.
“To now have a dedicated Para Unit within WAIS is a landmark moment,” said Fulton. “It honours the legacy of local pioneers like trailblazing spinal surgeon Sir George Bedbrook, physiotherapist and Paralympic team manager Johnno Johnson, and 1964 and 68’ Paralympic gold medallist Elizabeth Edmondson, while reigniting the flame of the Paralympic movement right here where it all began.”
The WAIS Para Unit marks a significant milestone in the evolution of Para sport in WA since its origins in 1954 – when Shenton Park Rehabilitation Hospital became the first in the country to introduce wheelchair sports – reaffirming the state’s commitment to building an inclusive, innovative and world-class high-performance sport system.
“Western Australia holds a profoundly special place in the history of the Paralympic movement in this country. To now see a dedicated Para Unit established at WAIS – just minutes from where the journey began at Shenton Park – is both a tribute to our pioneers and an important investment in our future,” said Cameron Murray, CEO of Paralympics Australia.
“Names of prominent West Australians like Bedbrook, Ponta, Sauvage, Bugarin, Cooper, de Rozario and Ness are woven into the fabric of Australia’s sporting identity. This Unit is a direct continuation of the legacy those athletes have helped to create with their Paralympic teammates and it delivers a greater chance to ignite the dreams of the next generation of Western Australian Para-athletes,” Murray said.
Today’s launch follows the establishment of similar units at the Queensland Academy of Sport, South Australian Sports Institute, NSW Institute of Sport, Victorian Institute of Sport — uniting the country in a national effort to elevate Para sport and build a dominant Australian team for Brisbane 2032 and beyond.
