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.

At a recent keynote presentation, Robyn Smith OAM spoke about Communications and Choice. "Inclusion is about making opportunities for people with a disability to be involved, the environment needs to be welcoming, and needs to be person-first." Thank you to our friends Sport New Zealand for helping us spread the message through the power of video. As we celebrate and acknowledge the International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD) #IDPwD2023, it is timely to raise the importance of communications and choice in the inclusion of people of all abilities. https://lnkd.in/gPsXwuhD SIA has for nearly 40 years, advocated for the inclusion of people with a disability into sport, and to ensure athletes with an intellectual impairment are not left behind. We are proud to lead projects in Australia, the Pacific and Internationally to build the capacity, increase understanding and awareness, and to encourage people with a disability to see sport or physical activity as an option for themselves. #IncludedThroughSport SIA will continue its critical work in sport inclusion and inclusion training with support from key stakeholders including Australian Sports Commission, Victoria State Government (Victorian Government), Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Team Up and the Australian Government

Today, SIA held its 38th Annual General Meeting. It was conducted virtually with over 50 guests including SIA Board Members, National and State Sporting Organisations and Associations, staff and supporters of the work that SIA does. An AGM is a vital component of corporate governance, and today’s SIA AGM was much more than that. It was the story of its year that included the amazing people who made SIA a success, sport and events, and a showcase of the athletes and their growth and involvement in sport and as emerging leaders. Thank you to Kaitlyn Papworth, Evie Patterson, and Laura Flynn for sharing their story at the AGM. This was another step in the SIA Media and Leadership Training these athletes have been undertaking. Congratulations on your successes on and off the field. Congratulations to Lorraine Landon OAM who was awarded the Sport Inclusion Australia Life Membership Award. Your dedication to sport and to SIA is unwavering and SIA is blessed to have a strong leadership group. The Board for the next year was confirmed with the following people: Helen Croxford (President), Luke van Kempen (Vice-President and Chair International Working Committee), Lorraine Landon (Life Member, Chair Governance Committee), Danielle Smith (Finance Director and Chair Finance, Audit and Risk Committee), Aaron Morse (Life Member), Dr Emma Sherry, and Denver D'Cruz. Thank you to all that attended the meeting and those who continue to support SIA, including Steve Moneghetti AM (SIA Patron), Steve Bailey (SIA National Eligibility Officer), Alison Creagh AM CSC (President Paralympics Australia), representatives from Australian Sporting Alliance for People with a Disability (ASAPD), and Australian Sports Commission and SIA Member organisations Total Recreation NT, Life Stream Australia, Inclusive Sport SA, Sport4All, Inclusion Solutions, and many more stakeholders. An online setting is not always as good as a face to face one, but today we saw and experienced the power of sport through the updates from President, Finance Director and CEO, who shared a picture of the extensive work undertaken by SIA in a post-COVID environment. The year had everything from successes at Virtus OA Games 2022 and Virtus Global Games 2023, National and International Championships, Sport Diplomacy work in the Pacific and globally in United Arab Emirates, Korea, Japan and Latin Americas, and a successful fiscal year. The AGM update serve as a reminder to why SIA is committed to ensuring that #NoOneIsLeftBehind and the power of being #IncludedThroughSport.

We will continue to work tirelessly towards a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse Australia for everyone. 

Thank you Katie Rowe and Sinead Pearson from Deakin University for welcoming the team from SIA and giving us a room at Deakin Downtown to conduct the Sport Inclusion Australia Media and Leadership Training. This course gives the athletes a chance to practice and learn about presenting themselves with confidence in media interviews. Congrats to the athletes - Cameron Marshall, Evie Patterson, Laura Flynn, Carla Lenarduzzi, Kaitlyn Papworth for your participation today and sharing your stories. You are inspirational! Thank you to Helen Croxford and Robyn Smith OAM for your leadership and to the SIA team Michael Thomson, Chantel Lewis and Nithi Suppiah for a fun and memorable day.

Today, we attended the Women Sport Australia #WhatWomenWant brunch event in Melbourne. SIA was represented by Helen Croxford, Robyn Smith OAM, Kaitlyn Papworth, Anabelle Colman, Laura Flynn, Georgia Powning, Carla Lenarduzzi, Evie Patterson, Chantel Lewis, Nithi Suppiah. It's an important topic and something that SIA is fully supporting to ensure more women and girls can access and stay connected through sport. We would like to thank #WSAB23 and look forward to having more involvement in future events.