Sport Inclusion Australia

Sport Inclusion Australia is proud to share that CEO Robyn Smith OAM will be carrying the Paralympic Torch at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, on Tuesday 27 August 2024 at approximately 9.51am (Paris time). We congratulate Robyn on this special moment. It is a testament to her hard work and commitment serving on the governing board of the International Paralympic Committee and her various roles in driving inclusion through sport and on the governing boards of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Virtus Sport – the International Federation for Athletes with an intellectual impairment and the Australian Sporting Alliance for People with a Disability (ASAPD).

Sport Inclusion Australia today hosted a delegation of psychologists and sport administrators from Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands to attend a full day SIA x Virtus Eligibility Seminar in Brisbane. The seminar is part of SIA's strategic goal to expand its core work over three decades, to build inclusive opportunities for athletes with intellectual impairments. The seminar raises the importance of having qualified professionals all around Australia to support testing and eligibility process for people with an intellectual impairment. Thank you, Peter Hynninen, Steve Bailey, Kellie Keen, Helen Croxford and Robyn Smith OAM Smith, for sharing your presentation. We also appreciate all the delegates that travelled from NT, NSW, VIC, Fiji, PNG and Solomon Islands to participate. Special thanks to the team at Pullman Brisbane King George Square for hosting Sport Inclusion Australia at your hotel, and the SIA staff Holly Mead, Nithi Suppiah, Michael Thomson, Chantel Lewis

Sport Inclusion Australia would like to wish peace and joy to our friends and partners celebrating the end of Ramadan. Thanks to Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade grants through the Council of Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR), Australian-ASEAN Council (AAC), and Australia-Indonesia Institute (AIC), Sport Inclusion Australia has been able to build and sustain key partnerships through the #IncludedThroughSport Projects in the Middle East/ West Asia region, Egypt, and soon to launch in ASEAN region. Through our recent project delivery in Kuwait last month, we learned more about Ramadan and its significance. This essential sport diplomacy work is ensuring SIA is able to share our expertise in inclusive sport practices to build capacity with national sport organisations, while exchanging cultural and social learnings. The impact of these funded projects is the inclusion of athletes with disabilities, with a focus on intellectual impairment, to have supported pathways and inclusive environments to thrive in high performance sport. Amal Mobadda, Dr. Howyda Mondy, Majid Al Usaimi, Tarek Souei, Asian Paralympic, Dubai Club for People with Determination, Shafi Al-Hajeri, Mansour Al-Sarhaid, Kuwait National Paralympic Committee, Kuwait Disabled Sport Club, Bahrain Paralympic Committee, paralympic council malaysia pcm, National Paralympic Committee Indonesia,

Capacity Building and Partnership are two key themes included in Sport Inclusion Australia's new Strategic Plan. A pre-launch reveal was held with SIA Board Members and State & Territory Partners, at RMIT University, with a full day's discussion on working together to ensure people with an intellectual impairment are not left behind. This philosophy continues to drive the work by #SIASport to foster a #PersonFirst approach. The Board, Partners and Staff shared their ideas, inspiration and commitment to building a more inclusive world through sport. #IncludedThroughSport SIA looks forward to launching its new Strategic Plan 2024 - 2027 soon. This photo was taken on Friday 15 March 2024 to mark the occasion, signifying the first face to face post Covid, gathering with SIA Board, Partners Total Recreation NT, Life Stream Australia, Sport4All, Inclusion Solutions, New Horizons Tasmania Inclusive Sport SA, and Staff. Photo credit: Michael Thomson From left back row: Nithi Suppiah, Greg Brown, Chantel Lewis, Luke van Kempen, Kellie Keen, Denver D'Cruz, Keoh Goodall, Emma Sherry, Kelly Fishburn, Holly Mead From left front row: Matt Shaw, Danielle Smith, Lorraine Landon OAM, Belinda Kitto, Helen Croxford, Robyn Smith OAM, Joanna Connolly, John Cranwell

#InspireInclusion the theme for #IWD2024 couldn't be any more perfect as the team from SIA conducts Inclusive Sport Pathways & Eligibility workshop in Kuwait as part of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Council of Australian Arab Relations grant funding.