Category: Industry News

From the circus to Italy, Aussie pair’s para-Nordic bid

Two para‑skiers in matching teal and yellow skinsuits perform a tandem pose in front of a bright turquoise Paralympics Australia backdrop featuring Indigenous‑inspired circular and flowing dot patterns, with one athlete lifting the other piggyback style and raising an arm triumphantly, ski equipment visible at their side and a blurred coastal landscape in the far background.

From the circus to cross-country skiing, Australian duo Taryn Dickens and Lynn Maree Cullen are chasing Paralympic dreams at the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.

After vision loss led Navy officer Dickens to discover para-Nordic skiing, she teamed up with long-time skier and former Flying Fruit Fly Circus performer Cullen as her sighted guide. Together, they’re breaking new ground for Australian para-Nordic representation, the first since 2010.

Cullen’s decades of experience and Dickens’ determination have quickly made them ones to watch, proving that passion and partnership can take you anywhere, even from Canberra to the Alps.

Regional all abilities grants boost participation

Indoor wheelchair rugby (or wheelchair basketball) training session on a polished wooden court, showing several athletes in sport wheelchairs, one holding a ball, moving and facing each other in play, with sports equipment, spare wheelchairs, and large windows and doors in the background.

From blind cricket and adaptive climbing to accessible surfing and walking hockey, more people with disability in regional Victoria are getting the chance to enjoy the sports they love.

Through the latest Regional All Abilities Participation Grants, 89 local clubs and organisations will share more than $1.6 million to expand inclusive sport and recreation opportunities. Grants of up to $25,000 will help fund adaptive equipment, coaching, new programs and events across the state.

Projects include Mt Baw Baw’s first adaptive snow sports program, inclusive biking in Geelong, and the 2026 Mildura Tri-State Games.

The initiative forms part of the Victorian Government’s $40 million All Abilities Sport Fund, supporting participation for people with disability across regional communities.

World Series 2026 kicks off under open skies and outdoor pool in Australia

Aerial view of an outdoor swimming complex on the waterfront, with a 50‑metre pool in the foreground surrounded by grandstands full of spectators, additional pools and buildings behind, a riverside path and parked cars to the left, city high‑rise skyline in the background under a clear blue sky, and the waterway dotted with boats on the left side of the image.

The 2026 Para Swimming World Series is making a splash under the Australian sun, with the season opener taking place outdoors at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre from 20–22 February.

The event features 164 athletes from around the world, including a 94-strong home team led by Paralympic champions Rowan Crothers and Chloe Osborn. Both will compete in multiple freestyle and butterfly events as Australia aims to set the pace for the season.

This year’s move from Melbourne to the Gold Coast gives swimmers valuable experience in open-air conditions, mirroring those expected at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.

Lewis Quinn to lead Steelers into next chapter of high performance

Man wearing a green and gold polo shirt and headset stands at a courtside technical table, one hand on equipment and the other near his face as he focuses on the game action in an indoor sports venue.

Wheelchair Rugby Australia has announced Lewis Quinn as Acting Head Coach of the Australian Steelers for 2026, marking a new chapter for the national wheelchair rugby program.

Quinn is a sport scientist and coach with over 8 years of experience in the Steelers’ environment, most recently as Head of Analysis. He has been a key strategist across multiple international campaigns, including the Steelers’ gold-medal wins at the 2022 World Championships and 2023 International Wheelchair Rugby Cup, and their bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

He has worked in high-performance roles across other sports, including AFL, shooting, and para table tennis, and will be supported by a strong coaching group including former Steelers Jason Lees, Ben Newton, and Richard Voris.

This appointment follows former Head Coach Brad Dubberley’s departure after three decades with the Steelers as both athlete and coach. Quinn and the CEO, Chris Nay, see the move as a chance to build on the program’s success while continuing to innovate and grow towards defending the team’s World Championship title later in 2026.

SANFL teams up with Guide Dogs SA/NT to announce new Blind Low Vision League

Three AFL players stand on a lawn in front of a stadium, two in yellow guernseys and one in navy, while two Guide Dogs in orange harnesses sit proudly in the foreground facing the camera.

SANFL and Guide Dogs SA/NT have teamed up to launch South Australia’s first Aussie Rules competition for people with blindness and low vision. The new SANFL Blind Low Vision (BLV) League will kick off in March, giving participants the chance to play modified, competitive footy in a safe and supportive environment.

Games will be played indoors at AFL Max at Adelaide Airport so players can clearly hear the specially modified Sherrin, which features an electronic beeper to help track the ball. The six-a-side format will include 8–10 players per team, with goal umpires using rattles to indicate when the ball enters the scoring zone and optional Human Guide Training offered to participants, volunteers and staff.

Supported by State Government funding through the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing’s Collaboration Grants program, the League reflects SANFL’s goal to make footy inclusive and accessible to everyone. Guide Dogs SA/NT says the partnership is an important step in increasing access, independence and participation in sport for people with any level of vision.

Australia moves to strengthen access to community sport

Three young rugby players stand arm in arm on a sunny field, the middle player in a dark blue Owls jersey and the others in green striped jerseys, one holding a rugby ball, all facing the camera.

community sport through more informed and coordinated decision-making. The Plan, expected to be released mid-year, sits under Play Well – the national participation strategy designed to ensure everyone has a place in sport – and will guide how facilities are planned, prioritised and used so more Australians can connect, participate and thrive.

Consultations with more than 2,500 people in 2025 highlighted key challenges, including ageing and fragmented facilities, complex and inconsistent planning processes, limited access to venues (including schools), rising costs and heavy reliance on government funding, and ongoing participation barriers for women, multicultural communities and people with disability. Stakeholders also noted that many facilities are not being used to their full potential.

In response, the Plan is being built around a clear vision – Everyone has a place to play – and a shared “common ground” for the sector: Optimise what we have, grow what we need. Rather than simply building more venues, the focus is on creating the right number, mix and types of places close to where people live, and on helping governments, sports and facility owners work together more effectively.

Over the next six months, the final phase of work will confirm the key problems, test the shared vision and common ground, identify the system enablers needed for change, and finalise priority projects to drive impact. Once released, the National Community Sport Infrastructure Plan will provide practical, nationally aligned guidance to ensure sport infrastructure delivers inclusive, high-quality participation opportunities for communities across Australia.

Para Snowboarder Becomes First Aussie To Win 50 World Cup Medals

A Para snowboarder in an Australian team uniform races down a snowy course, knees bent and leaning forward on a snowboard, with a blue Paralympic gate flag in the foreground and blurred red fencing in the background.

Para snowboarding superstar Ben Tudhope has reached a remarkable milestone, becoming the first Australian winter athlete to claim 50 World Cup medals after adding two silvers at the FIS Para Snowboard World Cup in Austria.

His 50 World Cup podiums cement his status among the greats of Australian snow sports, alongside legends such as Michael Milton, Simon Patmore and Olympic moguls champion Jakara Anthony. In total, he has now collected 59 international medals across World Cup, Paralympic and World Championships events, highlighting his consistency and impact over more than a decade at the top.

Tudhope made his Paralympic debut at Sochi 2014 as a 14-year-old, the youngest athlete at those Games, and carried the Australian flag at the Closing Ceremony. He later co-captained the Australian team at Beijing 2022, where he won bronze in the snowboard cross SB-LL2 and again served as Closing Ceremony flag bearer, before securing World Championship gold in Spain the following year.

Through it all, Ben credits a simple love of snowboarding and having fun on the mountain as the key to his performance, saying that joy and playfulness on snow underpin his drive to reach the podium at every race. Now 26 and heading towards his fourth Paralympic Games at Milano Cortina, he is deep in a heavy World Cup competition block as he fine-tunes his riding and helps lead an exciting Australian Para snowboard team.

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