Good News - September, 2023
[Image ID - White text on a green background announcing the Good News article for September 2023. A boy with a ball is pictured on the right.]
Hello and welcome back to Disability Sports Australia’s Good News roundup for September!
For those that are new to the Good News series, this is a shortlist of DSA’s favourite stories that we have seen this past month.
At DSA, we love learning about the wonderful things people are doing for the active disability space. We hope this series generates a snowball effect of good stories to share leading to further growth in the sector.
Do you have a story you want us to tell?
Please send the story and your contact details to Disability Sports Australia’s email: info@sports.org.au
IBSA World Games 2023 concluded with successes galore for Australia
[Image ID - White text on a green background reads “IBSA World Games 2023 concluded with successes galore for Australia”. Above it is an image of a woman in Australian green and gold playing cricket.]
Image credit: Richard Hall, ISBA.
The International Blind Sports Association held the World Games 2023 in Birmingham throughout the latter half of August. This huge event included more than 1250 athletes from 70 nations, competing in 10 different sports.
Australian athletes competed in archery, cricket, goalball and tennis. The Australian women’s cricket team won the silver medal in their debut competition, and Australian tennis players placed in the top four in 7 of the 11 tennis competitions.
For more information about the event, including full results, visit the IBSA World Games website.
Paramatildas go 3 for 3 in friendly series
[Image ID - White text on a green background reads “Paramatildas go 3 for 3 in friendly series”. To the left is an image of a member of the Paramatildas and a member of the Japanese team battling for the ball.]
Image credit: Paramatildas via Instagram.
The Paramatildas - the Australian women’s soccer team for those with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury and symptoms of stroke - travelled to Japan in early September for a three-match friendly series against the host country. The Paramatildas continued their usual excellent form, winning all three games by large margins and conceding only one goal. Congratulations to the whole team and to our own Rae Anderson who played in all three games.
Results
02/09/2023 Australia 9 – 0 Japan
03/09/2023 Australia 8 – 1 Japan
04/09/2023 Australia 6 – 0 Japan
The Paramatildas are preparing for the first ever Women’s Para-Asian Cup, which will be held alongside the Men’s Para-Asian Cup in Melbourne from the 31st of October to 12th of November. With performances like these, they’re sure to have an exciting tournament!
Visit the Paramatildas website here.
Learn more about the upcoming Para-Asian Cup here.
FDBA wrap up inaugural All Abilities Competition
[Image ID - White text on a green background reads “FDBA wrap up inaugural All Abilities Competition”. To the left is an image of two basketball players during a game.]
Image credit: Frankston & District Basketball Association.
Frankston and District Basketball Association wrapped up their inaugural All Abilities competition this month, with the Grand Final taking place on the 15th of September. Overseen by Tanya Thomas, who completed our Accessibility Champion course last year (read more about her experience in our recent Accessibility Champion Spotlight!), the competition began with 6 teams and saw more and more new players joining every week.
[Image ID - a slideshow of 7 photos from Frankston and District Basketball Association’s inaugural All Abilities competition. Featured are photos of local people with disabilities playing basketball.]
Parent Maria said of the competition, “My son thoroughly enjoys and looks forward to it every Friday. It has been great to see him being involved and included in a space that is 100% inclusive and non-judgmental.”
FDBA also run an All Abilities program regularly, demonstrating their commitment to creating accessible sporting opportunities for everyone.
Their next All Abilities competition season will commence on October 13th. For more information or to register yourself or a team, please visit the FDBA website or contact Tanya.
Ph: 9776 8999
Abilities Unlimited Australia receive approval for bike track addition
[Image ID - White text on a green background reads “Abilities Unlimited Australia receive approval for bike track addition”. Above is an image showing an aerial view with a plan for the track.]
Image credit: Abilities Unlimited Australia
Canberra-based organisation Abilities Unlimited Australia have successfully secured final approval from the government to commence building the next stage in their bike precinct. A 3m wide, 300m long concrete track with road safety signage is set to be built as an extension of the existing Dirt Skills Track, which you can read about here. AUA also have a video on their website, which can be viewed here.
The Dirt Skills Track was funded by AUA earlier this year for use by their Cyclabilities program, a program for children of diverse abilities to learn and improve all manner of bike skills through games and other fun activities. The track contains 2 loops of beginner and intermediate difficulties as well as technical features.
Cyclabilities runs every Saturday throughout the school term. AUA also runs several other sport and fitness programs for children with diverse abilities in the ACT region, including swimming, skateboarding, martial arts, and team sports.
Visit the Abilities Unlimited Australia website here.
To donate to the project, visit this page.
Do you have a story you want us to tell?
Please send the story and your contact details to Disability Sports Australia’s email: info@sports.org.au
