Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Paralympic Games, because last Thursday I had the extraordinary privilege to be in Sydney to welcome home our Paralympians from London. The mass of cameras and VIPs, including the Acting Prime Minister and the opposition leader, was a fitting welcome home for these amazing athletes. One hundred and sixty-one Australian athletes competed in the 14th summer Paralympic Games in London. These athletes brought home some 85 medals, including 32 gold medals, in our most successful Paralympics since Sydney. The Australian team finished fifth on the medal table, notably ahead of the United States, Germany and France.

I was able to attend the Paralympics for three days towards the end of competition. London is to be commended on fanatically supporting the Paralympics. The stadiums and arenas were full. The crowds were huge. The atmosphere at the aquatic centre was electric, and the main stadium was filled to capacity for the athletics, where the racing was exceptional. As a spectacle, the final of the men's 5,000 metre wheelchair race was up there with anything in the Olympics, with Australian legend Kurt Fearnley just missing out on a gold medal. I had the privilege of being involved in two medal ceremonies at the aquatic centre, including one of the gold medal ceremonies for Australian golden girl of the pool, Jacquie Freney. Jacquie won eight gold medals at the games, making her the most successful athlete at a single Paralympics. Not only did she demonstrate extraordinary stamina and determination to win so many events; Jacquie has consistently maintained a positive, approachable attitude. She is a wonderful role model for any young person seeking to make their way in the world.

Another athlete to make his mark on the record books at the London games was swimmer Matt Cowdrey. At the London Paralympics Matt became Australia's most successful Paralympic athlete ever, with a tally of 13 gold medals and 23 medals in total.

I would also like to mention Bill Latham, a Paralympian from my electorate. Bill attended John Paul College in Coffs Harbour and now is a forward in the Australian wheelchair basketball team, the Rollers. The Rollers made it all the way to the gold-medal match, along the way beating the United States. They narrowly lost the final to Canada, but the team and Bill can be immensely proud having won a silver medal. Unfortunately not every Australian athlete could bring home a medal, but in my mind, every Australian Paralympian is a champion, regardless of their result in London. Each of these athletes has overcome extraordinary adversity to reach the highest levels of elite sport. Baron de Coubertin's Olympic Creed is a timely reminder that sport is not always about winning, and he said:

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not to triumph but to struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

Sport tests character and perseverance. It is a challenge to run faster, throw further, jump higher or perform better than ever before. Sport is about pushing through mental barriers, overcoming physical limitations and growing as an individual.

Perhaps the most inspirational athlete at the games, among the thousands of inspirational stories, was Ahmed Kelly. Ahmed was born in Iraq, with severe limb deformities, and spent the first seven years of his life in a Baghdad orphanage. He was brought to Australia for medical treatment in 1998, eventually losing both his arms and legs. Ahmed learnt to walk and run on prosthetic legs. After years of playing Aussie rules with his local team Kilmore in Victoria, he turned his attention to swimming in 2008. Ahmed narrowly missed out on a bronze in the 50 metre breaststroke. Every athlete on Australia's Paralympic team has an amazing story to tell of persistence and determination. Unfortunately time does not permit me to talk about every athlete.

Channel 4 in the UK aired an inspirational advertising campaign in the lead-up to the Paralympics, encouraging people to meet the superhumans. I witnessed the games and met our athletes. Without doubt, they are indeed superhumans. The Paralympic Games certainly embody the very spirit of sportsmanship, the very way in which we believe sport should be undertaken. The roar of the crowd was for the winners but also for those who might be coming last. It would seem that no matter where you finished the roar of the crowd was deafening.

I would also like to commend the Australian Paralympic Committee, who put a team into the field as prepared as they could possibly be. I would like to particularly commend Greg Hartung as the chairman of the Australian Paralympic Committee, and Jason Hellwig our Chef de Mission. Our Australian team, and the support staff and administrators, did Australia proud. They were highly professional in everything they did, and I am sure we will be a force to be reckoned with in Rio de Janeiro, when again our Paralympic team will certainly be gracing the gold medals and the medal dais on many occasions.

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