Who’s who in Australia’s 2024 Paris Paralympic team

The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games are almost here!

And here’s how you can meet every member of the Australian team.

News Corp Australia, publisher of Kids News, has launched its own Paralympic team tracker where you can learn all about the 158 Aussie athletes chasing their dreams on the biggest stage.

With the support of sponsor* Harvey Norman, learn more about who will don* the green and gold during the Paralympic program at the biggest sporting event on the planet.

In our interactive* athletes guide, you’ll be able to learn about all of our athletes, from the household names to the promising teenagers set to leave you stunned with their abilities.

With our interactive maps, you’ll be able to see the athletes who will represent your local community, wherever you are in Australia.

It will be a permanent* record of those who have reached the grandest stage for years to come.

But first, let’s look at some fast facts about the 2024 Australian team.

FAST FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN TEAM
• Australia will be represented by 160 athletes, including 152 athletes with an impairment*, two athletics guides*, two boccia ramp operators*, two cycling pilots*, one triathlon guide and one rowing coxswain*. The athletes will be supported by 198 staff, including two handlers* for triathlon

• Australia will compete in 17 of the 22 sports

• 61 athletes (38.2 per cent) will make their Paralympic debut*

• 90 athletes (56.25 per cent) on the team are male and 70 (43.75 per cent) are female

• The average age of athletes on the Australian Paralympic Team in Paris will be 31.3 years (compared to 30.1 years in Tokyo 2020)

• The average age of the male athletes is 31.4 years and the average age of the female athletes is 31.2 years

• 27 team members (16.8 per cent) were born overseas, from eight different countries

• 54 (36 per cent) of the athletes were identified or supported via Paralympics Australia’s Talent and Pathway initiatives*

• First time Paralympian Telaya Blacksmith (athletics) is set to become Australia’s 16th known Indigenous Paralympian. At the first Paralympic Games, in Rome in 1960, Kevin Coombs became Australia’s first Indigenous Paralympian or Olympian

• Three athletes have changed sports since they competed at Tokyo. Amanda Jennings represented Australia in canoe at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 but will be competing in archery at this year’s Games. Samuel Harding will be competing in triathlon after representing Australia in athletics at Tokyo 2020 and Ella Sabljak will switch to wheelchair rugby after representing Australia in wheelchair basketball at Tokyo 2020

• Before competing in their current sports for Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, both Danni Di Toro (wheelchair tennis at five Paralympics from 1996 to 2008) and Amanda Reid (swimming in 2012) competed in another sport at past Games. Jessica Gallagher competed at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Paralympic Games, the 2012 Paralympics in athletics and the Rio 2016 Paralympics in cycling. She missed selection for Tokyo 2020.

INTRODUCING THIS YEAR’S ATHLETES
Below, you will find our interactive guide to the Aussie athletes taking the stage at this year’s Paralympics.

Simply click on each athlete’s name to find out who they are and what they are competing in. You can also use the dropdown menus at the top of the guide to filter results by sport and state or territory.

Below the thumbnails, you’ll find a map of Australia that shows you where each athlete comes from. Simply click on the plus sign to reveal the map.

To find out more about the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympic Games, check out our free education kit.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• sponsor: a company that contributes to the cost of a project
• don: wear
• interactive: something the reader can participate in
• permanent: always existing
• impairment: a loss of part or all of a physical or mental ability
• guide: an athlete that helps to guide visually impaired Paralympic athletes
• ramp operators: for Boccia players in the BC3 class, who must use a ramp to propel the balls onto the court, a ramp operator follows the player’s instructions to line up the ramp and release the ball
• cycling pilots: a person who cycles with a vision impaired cyclist on a tandem bike
• coxswain: a person responsible for steering the boat and looking out for the tactics of rivals in the sport of rowing
• handlers: people that help the athletes in transition areas, for example, they help the athletes in and out of competitive equipment
• debut: first time competing
• Talent and Pathway initiatives: programs where talent athletes are recognised and supported in their Paralympic dreams

EXTRA READING
The world’s biggest sporting event
Oz Paralympic champs to watch
Aussie Olympic heroes come home
Dylan Alcott launches new series

QUICK QUIZ
1. How many athletes will Australia be represented by at the 2024 Paralympic Games?
2. Where are the Paralympics being held this year?
3. What is the average age of athletes this year?
4. Name two athletes who are competing in a different sport to the one they competed in at the Tokyo Games?
5. Who was Australia’s first Indigenous Paralympian?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Create a quest
Browse the Paralympic Team Tracker and test out its functions. As you browse, create a 10 question quest for a partner to complete. Some example questions are below to show you the types of questions you might include.

Examples:

• Name 3 members of the Wheelchair Rugby team.
• How many previous Paralympics has Ahmed Kelly competed in?
• Find an athlete who lives close to you.

Swap and see if you can complete your partner's quest.

Time: allow 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; ICT Capability

2. Extension
Choose a Paralympic sport that you don’t know well. Find out the rules and write, audio record, or draw a diagram explaining how to play.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Health and Physical Education

VCOP ACTIVITY
My Paralympic hero
Write a letter to one of the Paralympic athletes. Explain to them how proud you are of them, why they are an Paralympic hero to you, and that you have noticed them. Your letter can be anonymous or you can personally sign it off.

Remember when writing a letter:

• start with a greeting: Dear Sir,
• Then on a new line, write the body of the letter
• Finish with a closing: Kind regards,
• And finally, sign the letter

Try to include detail and emotion in the letter to connect with your target audience: your Paralympic hero.