The City of Sydney is helping the Australian Paralympic Team fly to Tokyo next year to compete in the 2020 Paralympic Games.
As an official sponsor of Paralympics Australia and the 2020 Australian Paralympic Team, the City is contributing $60,000 towards travel and accommodation.
“Our Paralympic Team is a source of national pride for all Australians,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
“This sponsorship is part of our strong commitment to creating a city that is inclusive and accessible for everyone, now and into the future.
“We want to break down the barriers that prevent people with disability from fully participating in our community, and support organisations like Paralympics Australia that aim to change people’s perceptions of disability.
“We’re incredibly proud to support these incredible athletes and wish them the best of luck as they compete on the world stage.”
The Paralympic Games will be held in Tokyo from 25 August to 6 September 2020. Australia has participated at every Paralympic Games since they were first held in Rome in 1960.
The Paralympic Games is the pinnacle of sport for athletes with disability, and it also provides an opportunity for athletes to forge social connections and help change community perceptions of people with disability.
Paralympics Australia Chief Executive Lynne Anderson expressed her gratitude as the City joins the Paralympic Team for a third consecutive Games.
“The City of Sydney has been a proud partner of the Australian Paralympic Team for our past two summer Games campaigns, and we’re thrilled to have them come on board once again as our preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games ramps up,” Paralympics Australia Chief Executive Lynne Anderson said.
“The resources that we will be able to provide the team through this funding will make a positive and meaningful impact and we know it will contribute to our success at the Games next year.”
Paralympic gold medallist and Sydney-based Paralympian Tiffany Thomas Kane is aiming for selection to her second Paralympic Team and is looking forward to representing her city with pride.
“Competing at the Paralympic Games means everything. It’s the pinnacle of my sport and there will be no better feeling than wearing green and gold, and in particular, my gold swimming cap, while representing my local community,” Paralympian Tiffany Thomas Kane said.
“I’m proud to call Sydney home, and to know that my hometown is behind me 100 per cent makes all the hard work leading into Tokyo worthwhile.”
The City is committed to an inclusive and accessible city for everyone, as outlined in A City for All: Inclusion (Disability) Action Plan 2017–2021.
“As a local government and a global city, we have a social responsibility to ensure everyone has the opportunity to be active in our community,” the Lord Mayor said.
“We’re committed to breaking down barriers that make it difficult for people with disability to fully participate in our community.
“We’re taking practical steps to make sure our city is inclusive and accessible, and we continue to provide support to organisations like Paralympics Australia with the aim of changing community perceptions of disability.”
For media inquiries or images, contact Senior Media Advisors Angela Salt (0455 958 503) or Roxanne Macara (0438 554 640) or email mediateam@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Anusha Muller
Phone 0408 494 545 or email amuller@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au