Day: January 16, 2026

Sport Inclusion Australia welcomes new Chief Executive Officer, Chantel Lewis

Two people sit at a table during a workshop, with Chantel Lewis on the right speaking and gesturing with a pen while a participant in a red PUMA jacket listens beside her, training booklets and a drink bottle in front of them.

Sport Inclusion Australia has appointed Chantel Lewis as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 8 January 2026, marking only the second CEO in the organisation’s history since 1986.

Lewis brings more than 20 years’ experience across inclusion, sport and human rights, having worked with Sport Inclusion Australia since 2017 and its Queensland member Life Stream Australia since 2011. Over the past year as General Manager, she has led national and international initiatives, including the “Included Through Sport – Solomon Islands” project, and was elected to the Oceania Paralympic Committee.

Paying tribute to outgoing CEO Robyn Smith OAM, Lewis said she is honoured to continue her legacy of strengthening partnerships, extending pathways and ensuring people with intellectual impairment are included through sport. Sport Inclusion Australia President Helen Croxford said Lewis will focus on deepening collaboration and championing opportunities for athletes with intellectual impairment to participate, perform and lead at every level of sport.

‘There’s A Lot To It, But I Work Hard’: Parker Aims To Join Summer-Winter Club

A Para Nordic sit-skier wearing Australian race colours and a bib marked “12 Canmore Kananaskis” pushes along a snowy course, with officials and other competitors blurred in the background and snow-covered trees behind them.

Cortina 2026 in Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing after a decorated Para triathlon and Para cycling career. The Paris 2024 triple medallist and reigning Paralympian of the Year has turned just six weeks of on-snow training into strong World Cup results in Canmore, Canada, putting her Winter Paralympics qualification push firmly in play.

Parker has had to quickly adapt to racing in extreme cold while managing severe Raynaud’s disease, using heated gloves and hand warmers as she learns to control a sit ski on slippery descents with limited trunk stability. She credits her endurance and race experience from summer sports for helping fast-track this technical learning curve.

Long-time triathlon rival Kendall Gretsch has become a key source of inspiration and support, reinforcing Parker’s belief that elite triathlon skills can translate to Para Nordic success. Parker will now complete an intensive snow training camp in Austria, combining skiing, biathlon shooting, cycling and swimming as she chases selection for the Winter Paralympics, which open on 6 March.

Woodman to lead new wave into Australian Wheelchair Summer Series

A wheelchair tennis player sits on an outdoor hard court holding a tennis racquet, wearing a Melbourne Open cap, HEAD T-shirt and sports watch, with the rear wheel of the sports wheelchair visible in the foreground.

Victorian teenager Jin Woodman is among 16 Australians competing across the expanded Australian Wheelchair Summer Series this January.

The world No.7 will headline the quad singles draw at the inaugural Australian Wheelchair International – Adelaide, held at The Drive from 15–17 January. The event marks the first time South Australia has hosted an international wheelchair tennis tournament as part of the Summer Series.

Woodman will then travel to Melbourne for the Melbourne Wheelchair Open (18–23 January) before taking on his second Australian Open Wheelchair Championships (26–31 January) campaign at Melbourne Park.

It caps a strong 2025 for the 18-year-old, who won the Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability award at the Newcombe Medal last month, alongside being named ITF Wheelchair Junior Boy of the Year. Despite a mid-season femur injury, Woodman still finished inside the world’s top 10.

Woodman will be joined in Adelaide by fellow Australian and world No.10 Heath Davidson, making his 10th appearance at the Australian Open later this month. Also contesting the Summer Series are Benjamin Wenzel, Finn Broadbent, and Anderson Parker, all building towards their Grand Slam campaigns.

The Summer Series includes events in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne, giving Australian athletes crucial match play ahead of the Grand Slam. Parker will compete in Brisbane before contesting his third consecutive Australian Open, while Wenzel prepares for his main-draw debut after making history as the first Australian to win a junior wheelchair Grand Slam match at AO 2025.

Leading into AO 2026, seven young Australians will also feature in the Victorian Wheelchair Open junior draw, including Arlo Shawcross, Sonny Rennison, Gillie Lumby, and Harrison Dudley, all World Team Cup representatives aiming to become Australia’s next major champion in boys’ singles.

Key upcoming wheelchair events:

Australian Wheelchair International – Adelaide: 15–17 January, The Drive
Melbourne Wheelchair Open: 18–23 January, Hume Tennis Centre
Australian Open Wheelchair Championships: 26–31 January, Melbourne Park