Current and aspiring Paralympians are set to benefit from a strengthened partnership between Paralympics Australia and retailer Harvey Norman.
The three-year agreement extends a link that pre-dates the Rio 2016 Paralympics and was expanded further in 2019.
The multi-faceted partnership will expand on existing exclusive content production to profiling athletes and their sports, the development of internal education modules and ongoing support for Paralympics Australia’s grassroots Multi-Sport Days program.
“Announcing our partnerships with both our national teams simultaneously is what Harvey Norman is all about, that is to support and celebrate our Australian athletes competing at the highest level, representing our country, across the broadest range of sports,” Harvey Norman chief executive Katie Page said.
“If we can achieve anything in our partnerships it is to support the creation of more dreams and bring more Paralympic and Olympic Games dreams to life.”
Paralympic triathlon champion Katie Kelly said Harvey Norman has always backed Australian sports, but importantly they have led the way in supporting women in sport and the Paralympics.
“This genuine commitment to equity in sponsorship has helped to grow the profile of the Australian Paralympic Team and will also inspire our next generation of young Para-athletes to reach their own goals as we head towards the Brisbane Games in 2032.”
Another Paralympic champion, wheelchair racer Madison de Rozario, said: “Harvey Norman has been a huge support over the last three years and it’s exciting to be able to continue that over the next two and hopefully more.
“As athletes we will do everything, we need to do on the sporting field, but we are only able to have the impact we have with the support of partners like Harvey Norman amplifying our voices and our stories.”
The partnership with Harvey Norman will assist the AOC to send five teams overseas in the next three years.
Photo: Maurice Longbottom, Sally Fitzgibbons, Chris Bond, Tess Madgen, Jeff Dunne, Montana Atkinson, Madison de Rozario, Ariarne Titmus, Gerry Harvey, Katie Page, Katie Kelly and Hudson Wan.