Australia at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Australia sent a delegation to compete at the
2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...
in Beijing. The country sent 167 (95 male and 72 female) athletes in 13 sports (out of 20) and 122 officials. It was the country's largest ever Paralympic delegation to an away Games. The team sent to Beijing was described as the emergence of the new generation of Australian athletes with 56 percent of the team attending their first Paralympic Games. The delegation's chef de mission was Darren Peters. Australia won 23 gold, 29 silver and 27 bronze medals. It finished fourth on the total medal tally and fifth on the gold medal tally. Major sporting achievements for the Australian team included: *
Matt Cowdrey Matthew John Cowdrey (born 22 December 1988) is an Australian politician and Paralympic swimmer. He presently holds numerous world records. He has a congenital amputation of his left arm; it stops just below the elbow. Cowdrey competed at the 2 ...
, an arm amputee swimmer, winning five gold and three silver medals to be the Games' leading athlete. *
Peter Leek Peter Alan Stuart Leek, OAM (born 27 September 1988) is an Australian former swimmer with ataxic cerebral palsy, who won eight medals at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Early life Leek was born in the Sydney suburb of Blacktown. He began swimmi ...
, a
cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
swimmer, winning eight medals including three gold. *
Heath Francis Heath Wesley Francis, OAM (born 16 November 1981 in Newcastle, New South Wales is an Australian athlete who has participated in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics. His right arm was amputated at the age of seven as a result of a min ...
, an arm amputee sprinter and
Evan O'Hanlon Evan George O'Hanlon, (born 4 May 1988) is an Australian Paralympic athlete, who competes mainly in category T38 sprint events. He has won five gold medals at two Paralympic Games – 2008 Beijing and 2012 London. He also represented Austral ...
, cerebral palsy sprinter winning three gold medals. *
Kurt Fearnley Kurt Harry Fearnley, (born 23 March 1981) is an Australian wheelchair racer, who has won gold medals at the Paralympic Games and 'crawled' the Kokoda Track. He has a congenital disorder called sacral agenesis which prevented fetal developme ...
, a wheelchair racer, winning the marathon for the second time. * Australian men's wheelchair basketball team winning gold. * 98 Australian athletes won a medal. * Australian athletes: 21 new world records, 31 Paralympic records, 79 Australian records and 164 personal bests.


Medalists

, width="78%" align="left" valign="top" , , width="22%" align="left" valign="top" ,


Events


Athletics

Jodi Willis-Roberts, Russell Short, and Darren Thrupp competed at their sixth Paralympics.
Jessica Gallagher Jessica Gallagher (born 14 March 1986) is an Australian Paralympic alpine skier, track and field athlete, tandem cyclist and rower. She was Australia's second female Winter Paralympian, and the first Australian woman to win a medal at the W ...
was selected in the team but was classified ineligible to compete. She attended the Games as a member of staff. Australian athletes set six world records, a further three Paralympic records and 16 Australian records during the Games.
Heath Francis Heath Wesley Francis, OAM (born 16 November 1981 in Newcastle, New South Wales is an Australian athlete who has participated in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics. His right arm was amputated at the age of seven as a result of a min ...
and
Evan O'Hanlon Evan George O'Hanlon, (born 4 May 1988) is an Australian Paralympic athlete, who competes mainly in category T38 sprint events. He has won five gold medals at two Paralympic Games – 2008 Beijing and 2012 London. He also represented Austral ...
won three gold medals.


Men's track


Men's field


Women's track


Women's field

Coaches –
Scott Goodman Scott Linton Goodman (born 20 August 1973) is an Australian butterfly swimmer who competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning a bronze medal in the 200-metre butterfly. He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.< ...
(Head Coach), Alison O'Riordan,
Andrew Dawes Andrew Dawes (February 7, 1940 – October 30, 2022) was a Canadian violinist. He was known for his performances with the Orford String Quartet. Early life and education Dawes was born in High River, Alberta.Curtin Call: A Photographer's Candi ...
, Brett Jones,
Louise Sauvage Alix Louise Sauvage, OAM (born 18 September 1973) is an Australian paralympic wheelchair racer and leading coach. Sauvage is often regarded as the most renowned disabled sportswoman in Australia. She won nine gold and four silver medals at f ...
,
Iryna Dvoskina Iryna Dvoskina (born 22 December 1958) is a Ukraine-born Australian athletics coach who works with Paralympic athletes. Biography Being an only child, she came to Australia in 2003 to be closer to her mother Fira (born 20 September 1934), who h ...
, John Minns, John Eden, Alan Makin, Cathy Raha-Lambert Officials – Gary Lees (Section Manager), Louise Mogg (Section Manager),Andrew Carter, Rowena Toppenberg, Sian Pugh, Mick Jordan, Phil Power, Steve Butler, Stephanie Martin,
Jessica Gallagher Jessica Gallagher (born 14 March 1986) is an Australian Paralympic alpine skier, track and field athlete, tandem cyclist and rower. She was Australia's second female Winter Paralympian, and the first Australian woman to win a medal at the W ...


Cycling

Included on the Australian team was Michael Milton, a four-time gold medalist as a skier in the
Winter Paralympics The Winter Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete in snow and ice sports. The event includes athletes with mobility impairments, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. Th ...
. Mark le Flohic, gold medalist at the
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
and 2004 Summer Paralympics, was to take part in the Beijing Games but had to pull out due to injury. Le Flohic broke his
collar bone The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the righ ...
during training one week before the Games were to begin.


Men's road


Men's track


Women's road


Women's track

Coaches – James Victor (Head Coach), Tom Skulander, Paul Martens Officials – Mark Fulcher (Section Manager), Brett Hidson, Anouska Edwards, Alan Downes, Mark Bullen, Stuart Smith, Murray Lydeamore.


Equestrian


Individual events


Team

* Indicated the three best individual scores that count towards the team total. Coaches – Mary Longden (Head Coach),David Bowman, Sally Francis Officials – Ken Dagley (Chef d’Equipe), Doug Denby, Nicola Reynoldson, Michelle Goodrick, Judy Fyfe, Margaret Keyes, Emma Bardot, Ebony Tucker, Terrina Fairbrother, Liz Wright-Smith, Chris Elliott, Carolyn Lieutenant.


Judo


Men


Powerlifting


Men


Women

Coaches – Ray Epstein (Head Coach), Bill Nancarrow


Rowing

Rowing made its debut at the Beijing Games. There were four boat classes which all competed over a distance of 1000m. Australia competed in two of the four rowing events. Australian athletes Kathryn Ross and John Maclean competed in the trunk and arms mixed double skulls.Rowing Australia . (2017). Paralympic Games. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from Rowing Australia : https://www.rowingaustralia.com.au/international/paralympic-games/ They won the silver medal, however only missed out on the gold by 0.08 seconds. The gold was won by a crew from China. Coaches - Pedro Albisser (Head Coach), Rik Bryan Officials - Adam Horner (Section Manager)


Sailing

Coaches – Greg Omay (Head Coach), Adrian Finglas Officials – Sarina Macpherson (Section Manager), Linnea Korssell, Sue Crafer, Geoff Milligan, Timothy Lowe


Shooting


Men


Women

Coaches – Miroslav Sipek (Head Coach), Michelle Fletcher Officials – Nick Sullivan (Section Manager), Anne Bugden


Swimming

There were eight men and eleven women making their Paralympic debut. Australia won 9 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze medals placing it sixth on the swimming medal tally. It was Australia's most successful sport at the Games.
Matthew Cowdrey Matthew John Cowdrey (born 22 December 1988) is an Australian politician and Paralympic swimmer. He presently holds numerous world records. He has a congenital amputation of his left arm; it stops just below the elbow. Cowdrey competed at the 2 ...
(5 gold and 3 silver) and
Peter Leek Peter Alan Stuart Leek, OAM (born 27 September 1988) is an Australian former swimmer with ataxic cerebral palsy, who won eight medals at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Early life Leek was born in the Sydney suburb of Blacktown. He began swimmi ...
(3 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze) were the standout swimmers.


Men


Women

Coaches – Brendan Keogh (Head Coach), Graeme Carroll, Jackie Barck, Amanda Isaac, Jo Love, Rob Moon, Mel Tantrum Officials – Melanie Jenkins (Section Manager), Jon O'Neill-Shaw, Sandra Eccles, Claire Nichols, Brendan Burkett, Sacha Fulton, Penny Will, Vaughan Nicholson


Table Tennis

Coach – Brian Berry (Head Coach) Official – Barbara Talbot (Section Manager). Catherine Morrow was selected but withdrew from the team.


Wheelchair Basketball


Men's tournament

Australian men's team known as the ' Rollers' won the gold medal defeating Canada 72–60 in the final ;Team roster
Dylan Alcott Dylan Martin Alcott, (born 4 December 1990) is an Australian former wheelchair tennis player, former wheelchair basketball player, radio host and motivational speaker. Alcott was a member of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball t ...
, Brendan Dowler,
Justin Eveson Justin Cain Eveson, OAM (born 10 June 1980) is an Australian swimmer and wheelchair basketball player who has won Paralympic medals in both sports. Personal Eveson was born on 10 June 1980, and is from the Perth suburb of Victoria Park. In 19 ...
,
Michael Hartnett Michael Hartnett ( ga, Mícheál Ó hAirtnéide) (18 September 1941 – 13 October 1999) was an Irish poet who wrote in both English and Irish. He was one of the most significant voices in late 20th-century Irish writing and has been called " Mu ...
, Adrian King,
Tristan Knowles Tristan Malcolm Knowles, OAM (born 25 April 1983) is an Australian wheelchair basketball player and won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and silver medal at the 2012 London Paralympics. He competed at 2020 Summer Paralympics, his f ...
, Grant Mizens,
Brad Ness Bradley John Ness, OAM (born 24 November 1974) is an Australian wheelchair basketballer. He won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing and silver medals at 2004 Athens and 2012 London Paralympics. He was selected as the Australian flag bearer at the ...
,
Shaun Norris Shaun Daryl Norris, OAM (born 2 April 1985) is an Australian wheelchair basketball player. He was a member of the Rollers team that competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, his fifth Games. Personal Norris is from the Perth suburb of Banksia ...
,
Troy Sachs Troy Sachs, Order of Australia, OAM (born 3 December 1975) is an Australian wheelchair basketball player. He competed at five Paralympic Games from 1992 to 2008, where he won three medals. Sachs won two national league championships in Austra ...
, Tige Simmons,
Brett Stibners Brett Andrew Stibners, OAM (born 25 June 1979) is an Australian wheelchair basketball player who won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics and the 2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship. He was a member of the Rollers team that co ...

Coaches –
Ben Ettridge Benjamin James Ettridge (born 15 April 1974) is an Australian basketball coach. Playing career Ettridge competed in the State Basketball League between 1993 and 2004, playing for the Cockburn Cougars (1993–1994), Willetton Tigers (1995–1996 ...
(Head Coach), Craig Friday Officials – Kelvin Browner (section Manager), Ian Lowther Group B Matches ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Group B Standings Quarter finals ---- ---- Semi finals ---- Gold medal game ---- ----


Women's tournament

The women's team known as the ' Gliders' won the bronze medal defeating Japan in the playoff. ;Team roster Clare Burzynski, Shelley Chaplin,
Cobi Crispin Cobi Crispin (born 22 December 1988) is a 4 point wheelchair basketball forward from Western Australia. She began playing wheelchair basketball in 2003 when she was 17 years old. The Victorian Institute of Sport and Direct Athlete Support ( ...
, Melanie Domaschenz,
Kylie Gauci Kylie Gauci (born 1 January 1985) is an Australian Paralympic 2-point wheelchair basketball player. She participated in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, where she won a silver medal; in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, where she ...
, Melanie Hall, Katie Hill, Bridie Kean,
Tina McKenzie Tina McKenzie (born 8 June 1974) is an Australian wheelchair basketball player. She participated in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, where she won a silver medal; in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, where she won a bronze medal; ...
, Kathleen O'Kelly-Kennedy, Sarah Stewart,
Liesl Tesch Liesl Dorothy Tesch AM (born 17 May 1969) is an Australian wheelchair basketball player, sailor, and politician. She is a Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing Gosford since the 2017 Gosford state by-el ...
Coaches –
Gerry Hewson Gerard "Gerry" Benjamin Hewson, Order of Australia, OAM (born 5 June 1958) is an Australian former Paralympic wheelchair basketballer. He has coached wheelchair basketball on the national and international level in Australia. Gerry is now study ...
(Head Coach), Mark Hewish Officials – Sonia Healy (Section Manager), Emma Whiteside. Group A Standings' ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Group A Table Quarter-finals ---- Semi-finals Bronze medal game ---- ----


Wheelchair Rugby

Representing Australia in wheelchair rugby:
Men – Bryce Alman,
Ryley Batt Ryley Batt, (born 22 May 1989) is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He has won two gold and one silver medal at five Paralympic Games. Biography Ryley Douglas Batt was born on 22 May 1989 without legs and had surgery to separate his ...
, Grant Boxall, Shane Brand, Cameron Carr,
Nazim Erdem Nazim Erdem, (born 1 August 1970) is an Australian wheelchair rugby Paralympic gold and silver medalist. He has won two gold and two silver medals at five Paralympics from 2000 to 2016. Personal Nazim Erdem was born on 1 August 1970 in the T ...
, George Hucks, Steve Porter, Ryan Scott, Greg Smith, Scott Vitale Coach –
Brad Dubberley Brad Dubberley (born 28 June 1981) is an Australian Paralympic wheelchair rugby Head Coach and former athlete. He won a silver medal as an athlete at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, 2000 Sydney Games and as the head coach at the 2008 Summer Paraly ...
(Head Coach) Officials – Kim Ellwood (Section Manager), Rob Doidge, Noni Shelton, Angela Mansell Three of the team made their Paralympic debut and Steve Porter attended his fourth Games. The Australian team known as the ' Steelers' won the silver medal losing to the United States 53–44 in the final. Group B Standing and Results : Qualified for quarterfinals : Eliminated Source: Paralympic.org


Medal round

Source: Paralympic.org


Wheelchair Tennis


Men


Women

Coach – Greg Crump (Head Coach) Officials – Geoff Quinlan (Section Manager)


Venues

There were 19 venues for the Paralympics in Beijing. From this, 18 were used at the Olympics and also in the Paralympic games.Beijing Foreign Affairs Office . (2008, February 19). Development of Olympic Venues and Related Facilities. Retrieved October 17, 2017, from Beijing International : http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/Government/Mayor_office/Mayor_bulletin/t929892.htm Venues were spread throughout three regions in China. “In the construction of the Olympic venues and related facilities, we will give full consideration to the special needs of the athletes and spectators with physical disabilities, to materialize the goal of "equality, participation and sharing"”. When constructing venues for both the Olympic and Paralympic, impediment free designs had to be used to enable access by able and disabled bodies. Facilities where Australians competed include the Beijing National Stadium (Birds Nest), Beijing National Aquatics Centre (Water Cube), Beijing National Indoor Stadium (Fan) as well as many more.


Venues Designed by Australian Companies

Many of the venues were designed by Australian companies. One of the iconic venues ‘The Water Cube’, was designed by Australian companies PTW Architects, ARUP Aust., Anti Wave International CSCEC.Cashman, R., Harris, R., & Olympic Games. (2012). The Australian olympic caravan from 2000 to 2012: A unique olympic events industry. Petersham, N.S.W.: Walla Walla Press. Other facilities used by for the Paralympics included the Archery, Hockey and Tennis venues which were all designed by Bligh Voller Nield. Many other Australian companies also contributed to the design and building of facilities.


Administration

Athletes and coaches were supported by administrative and sports medicine and science staff. Administrative staff – Darren Peters (Chef de Mission), Nick Dean (Deputy Chef de Mission), Paul Bird (Chef de Mission), Alison Keys, Jason Hellwig (General Manager), Steve Loader, Michael Hartung, Natalie Jenkins, Caroline Walker, Chris Nunn (Performance Consultant), Jenni Cole, Tony Naar (Chief Information Manager), Graham Cassidy (Media Manager), Margie McDonald, Jordan Baker, Karen Michelmore
Sports medicine and science staff – Larissa Trease, Alison Campbell (Medical Coordinator), Geoff Thompson, Ruben Branson, Sally Heads, John Camens, David Spurrier, Lily Chiu, Richard Bennett, Gary Slater, Jo Vaile


Sponsorship

“Australia's Paralympic team is funded by the Federal Government but also relies heavily on donations and corporate sponsorship”.Edwards, M. (2008, September 1). Paralympic struggling to attract sponsorship. Retrieved October 10, 2017, from The world today: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2351836.htm The growth of Paralympic sports has grown phenomenally in the past decade however there was concern this didn't translate into increased corporate sponsorship, especially before the 2008 games. Despite this, the Australian Paralympic Committee outlined in their Annual Report for 2007/08 that their corporate sponsorship revenue increased. The revenue for corporate sponsorship was $1.47 million for the year, resulting in a 17.7 per cent increase from the previous year.Australian Paralympic Committee. (2008). Annual Report 2007/08. Sydney : Australian Paralympic Committee.


Major sponsors

Telstra was one of many major sponsors at the Beijing Games. Throughout the games, the Australia Paralympic Committee and Telstra created the Telstra HeroMessage program. The program generated 7,000 messages of support that were sent to athletes at the games. The program also ran Chat to a Champ. It allowed students from the Telstra Paralympic Education Program to talk to their Paralympic heroes at the games via the internet. Toyota was another sponsor for the Paralympic team in Beijing. Toyota has been supporting the APC for over 12 years (at the time) and through this has been building awareness of the Paralympic movement. They ran multiple promotions in the lead up to the 2008 games. This included developing a media campaign with News Limited and also adding information on Paralympic Games/Athletes to their website.


Beijing Sponsors and Supporters Program (BSSP)

Representatives from the 25 key sponsors and supporters were sent to Beijing as a part of the BSSP Program. This experience enabled them to see 7 days of the games and witness sports such as swimming cycling, basketball, wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball and many more. They also had the chance to tour the Paralympic village, meet the athletes and staff and have an official greeting at the Australian Embassy. “The BSSP enables sponsors and key supporters to experience the Games firsthand and to see the impact of their support on Australia’s Paralympic athletes”.


Toyota Paralympic Talent Search Program

The Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) runs the Toyota Paralympic Talent Search Program. "Its main goal is to identify people with physical disabilities, vision impairments or intellectual disabilities who display the athletic potential to one day make it to Paralympic level competition". There were 53 athletes from the program who became a part of the Paralympic Preparation Program leading up to the games. From this pool of athletes, 27 where chosen to represent Australia in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Team. By the end of the games, 15 of those who were selected to be in the team from the Talent Program won medals at their first Paralympic games.


Fundraising

Since 1990 the Australian Paralympic Committee has been responsible for preparing the Summer and Winter Teams for the Paralympic Games.Australian Paralympic Committee. (2017). About Us. Retrieved October 5, 2017, from Australian Paralympic Committee: https://www.paralympic.org.au/about-us/ They also assist athletes to prepare by, "…providing funding for coaching, equipment and travel in the lead up to the…Paralympic Games". Fundraising is an essential avenue for the APC to provide funding for the team. Through various fundraising activities in the lead up to the 2008 games, a $3.11 million gross revenue was made from the 1 October 2007 to the 30 September 2008. This figure beat the target that was set. Revenue of $2.26 million was earned through activities such as raffles, lottery draws and promotional sales. Allsports Direct Australia is a contracted raffle trader and contributed to helping the APC earn the amount fundraised.The APC acknowledges the support from their individual and corporate donors. Almost $850,000 (from the 2007-2008 financial year) from individual and corporate donors went directly to the Beijing Paralympic Team.


Media coverage

Because Australia was sending their largest Paralympic team to the 2008 games, they wanted to make sure that their efforts would be broadcast to Australians. This included putting in place many initiatives to publish, broadcast and promote the games and Paralympic achievements. In order to distribute content they worked with the Australian Associated Press (AAP), “to maximise distribution of key stories, developing relationships with editors and key journalists, developing a program of events and activities and providing quality background information and stories”. Media Monitors, established there was a total of 31,986 Australian media stories distributed throughout the 2008 Paralympic Games. Online traffic on the APC's website throughout the Beijing Games increased more than 500 percent over Athens and media coverage. The Australian Paralympic Committee reported that there was a 65 per cent increase in Australian media coverage of the Games compared to the 2004 Games in Athens. Independent research has also indicated that 64 percent of Australians followed the Beijing Paralympics, which indicates that APC's goal to broadcast the games to Australians over multiple platforms was achieved. The 2008 Paralympic Games also had television coverage by the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
(ABC). The ABC produced the largest, “coverage by an Australian broadcaster in the Paralympic Games history”.International Paralympic Committee (IPC). (n.d). Paralympic Media Awards. Retrieved October 5, 2017, from Official Website of the Paralympic Movement : https://www.paralympic.org/the-ipc/awards/paralympic-media There was 40 crew that traveled to Beijing so that the ABC was able to produce more there 120 hours of coverage, including 100 hours which were broadcast live. It also included daily segments which showed highlights from the games and Australian athlete. The highlights shown at 6pm where, "...pulling in an average audience of over 400,000 viewers". The coverage of the games was shown over six platforms including television, online and radio. The ABC were, “…awarded Paralympic broadcaster of the year for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games”.Legg, David and Keith Gilbert (eds). Paralympic Legacies. Champaign, IL: Common Ground, 2011 Australian athlete Gerrard Gosens commented on the television coverage "When I look back to 1996 and the coverage that was there, it was very minimal. Today when you're looking at over 100 hours of ABC television coverage, that really has brought inspiration not only to many Australians, but in particular people who do have a physical disability and looking at the opportunities, not necessarily the obstacles of sport.


Female media coverage

Inconsistent media coverage between males and females has always been an issue in sport, even in coverage at the Paralympic Games.“In 2007, the Australian government made a pre-election commitment to provide A$1 million to the APC towards the coverage of the 2008 summer and 2010 winter Paralympic Games for the purpose of promoting female participation and role models”.Narr, T. (2016, September 15). Into the spotlight: media coverage of the Paralympic Games has come a long way. Retrieved October 7, 2017, from The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/into-the-spotlight-media-coverage-of-the-paralympic-games-has-come-a-long-way-65228 A study conducted for the APC found that the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, “…coverage of women at the Games in Australian media was broadly in line with their proportion of the Australian Team (45%) and their total medal success at the Games (37%)”. Women's sport coverage exceeded the media's normal 2 percent allocation of females sport coverage.


See also

*
Australia at the Paralympics Australia has participated officially in every Paralympic Games since its inauguration in 1960 except for the 1976 Winter Paralympics. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games and are governed by the International ...
*
Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics A total of 433 competitors competed for Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The team was Australia's second largest away team after the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, which included a team of 482 competitors. Australian athletes ha ...


References


External links


Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Official Site

International Paralympic Committee Historical Results Database
– detailed listing of results
Australian Paralympic Committee Media Guide Beijing 2008

"Remarks at the announcement of the Australian 2008 Paralympics Team"
official website of the Prime Minister of Australia, 29 July 2008

''Daily Telegraph'', 4 September 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Australia At The 2008 Summer Paralympics Nations at the 2008 Summer Paralympics 2008 Paralympics