Wishing our Aussie Rio 2016 Paralympians well

Lord Mayor Clover Moore today hosted an official farewell ceremony for local and national athletes taking part in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in September.

26th July 2016 - City of Sydney hosts the official Paralympic farewell ceremony at Town Hall

More than 150 Paralympic athletes, officials and Australian Paralympic Committee members attended the event at Sydney Town Hall, including Sydney athletes Angie Ballard (athletics), Andrew Edmondson (wheelchair rugby), Ellie Cole (swimming), Daniel Michel (boccia) and multi medal winning Paralympic wheelchair tennis champion, David Hall.

The City is providing more than $100,000 in funding for Australia’s Paralympic and Olympic Teams competing in Rio.   More than 4,350 Paralympic athletes from 176 countries will compete across 22 sports in Rio.    Australia will field a highly competitive Team across 15 sports. The Team has finished in the top five on the gold medal tally at every Games since Barcelona in 1992.   “Increasing awareness of the contribution and needs of people with disability is an important part of the City’s role in promoting social inclusion and diversity,” the Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.   The City – which encourages everyone to take part in sports and recreation - will soon launch a new Inclusive (Disability) Sport and Recreation Directory, recognising the importance of sport and recreational activities in creating inclusive and accessible communities.   The directory will operate through the City’s free What’s On website and allow people with disability to choose activities and programs that best suit them. Groups and organisations offering sports and recreation programs that are disability inclusive are encouraged to promote their activity on this platform.