Australia’s Foreign Policy White Paper
Submission by the Australian Paralympic Committee
February 2017
1. Introduction
The Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) would like to make the following submission to
the Australian Government’s Foreign Policy White Paper highlighting the important role that
sport can play in development and sports diplomacy.
2. Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) overview
The Australian Paralympic Committee objectives are summarised as follows:
•
To help Australians with disabilities participate in sport and compete at the
Paralympic Games through partnerships with Governments, sporting bodies and the
community.
•
To control, supervise and administer the representation of Australia at the Paralympic
Games, Games recognised by the International Paralympic Committee, and other
international multi-disability sports events and championships approved by the IPC
involving national team participation.
•
To manage partnerships with Governments, businesses, national sporting
organisations and disability groups, critical to delivering a successful Australian
Paralympic Team.
•
To coordinate, represent and promote the Paralympic movement in Australia and to
encourage athletes to participate in sports to international standards.
•
Maintain regular and effective contact with the IPC and members of the Paralympic
movement nationally, in the Oceania region and internationally.
Our broader role is to work to promote the value of inclusion in sport and encourage people
with disability to get active and involved in sport. We believe participation in sport provides
positive social and physical benefits to people with disabilities, and plays an important role in
changing community perceptions of people with disabilities.
The APC has 17 member organisations comprising national sporting organisations and
national sporting disability organisations. They include:
• Athletics Australia
• Australian Sailing
• Basketball Australia
• Blind Sports Australia
• Boccia Australia
• Cerebral Palsy – Australian Sport and Recreation Federation
• Cycling Australia
• Disabled WinterSport Australia
• Disability Sport Australia
• Equestrian Australia
• Football Federation Australia
• Rowing Australia
• Shooting Australia
• Sport Inclusion Australia
• Swimming Australia
• Table Tennis Australia
• Tennis Australia
3. APC strategic priorities
The APC’s Strategy 2021 document (available on the APC website) outlines the
organisation’s purpose, mission and values and key pillars of work. Below are the strategic
priorities for 2017-2021.
4. APC’s international role
•
The fundamental belief of the Australian Paralympic Committee is that everyone has
the right play sport and achieve their potential, and in an international context this is
reflected through its strategic goal to be a leader among National Paralympic
Committees (NPCs) through stronger influence in the region and internationally by:
o assisting the evolution of NPCs in Oceania and Asia through knowledge
sharing and capability development support; and
o strengthening relationships with other countries and become a knowledge
leader for selected Para-sport areas.
•
The APC’s track record of successful international engagement is underpinned by
high quality and innovative systems, processes and community engagement, which
has led to partnerships with various nations on a range of para-sport projects.
5. Sport and disability
•
International sport, particularly in the Oceania and Asia-Pacific regions, is not a level
playing field.
•
Often poorly managed, lacking direction and driven by ineffective systems and
processes, the true value of sport for many nations remains largely untapped and the
potential benefits unrealized, particularly for marginalized community groups.
•
This is particularly the case for men, women and children with disability.
•
World Health Organisation research (2015) shows that approximately 15% of the
global population live with some form of disability and therefore comprise the world’s
largest and most disadvantaged minority.
•
Globally, UN research (2005) shows that women still face discrimination in access to
education, work and participation in decision making.
•
The APC is building links with disability and sporting groups across the country and
internationally to help support sporting pathways for people with a disability. In the
process, we hope we can break down some barriers, biases and stereotypes that limit
opportunity.
•
The Paralympic Games provides great exposure and in many cases inspiration for
many people living with disability and shines a light on the value of diversity and
inclusion in society and sport.
•
A Scope survey found that 78% of disabled respondents said the Paralympics
improved attitudes and 82% said the Games change negative perceptions to
disability.
6. Benefits of sport participation for people with disability
•
There is ample evidence discussing the positive associations of physical activity, including
a number of physical and mental health benefits. Regular physical activity can reduce
people’s risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and some
cancers, as well as improve bone density, muscle strength, and psychological wellbeing.1
The associations between sport, physical activity, and social health are also growing
stronger, with global recognition of the value of social connectedness and social support
growing.
•
An APC report on the physical and functional benefits of participation in sport for people
with disability found that there are clear benefits to participating in sport. Yet the exact
benefits an individual may expect following a certain experience are less clear, but
depend on the individual, the physical activity, the structure of the program and the time
spent participating.
•
Most of the respondents to the research surveys in the APC report rated psychological
and social benefits as among the most likely and most important benefits to come from
sport participation. Social interaction was cited by 25% of participants as being one of
the two most important benefits of sport participation.
•
The key recommendations of this research related to research and training
opportunities to; a) inform participation initiatives and promotional efforts and b)
enable a greater variety of health-related professionals to advocate for sport
participation among people with a disability.2
Department of Health and Ageing. Physical Activity: Great reasons to be active. 2010.
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-phys-act-guidelines
2 Australian Paralympic Committee. Getting Active – Getting Healthy – Getting Competitive:
Investigation into the Benefits of Sport Participation for Individuals with a Disability.
1
7. Sport development and advocacy goals
•
The APC’s International Sport Development Program (ISDP) contributes to the beliefs
and objectives of the APC, as well as the public diplomacy goals and objectives of
the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), as set out in the Australian Sports
Diplomacy Strategy 2015 – 2018:
•
Sport is one of Australia’s great cultural assets. DFAT has developed new initiatives to
promote Australia’s sporting assets and expertise as a basis for building an
understanding of our culture and values and strengthening links with institutions and
communities in the region.
•
Sport diplomacy is an increasingly important aspect of diplomatic practice and a
growing part of the global sports industry.
•
Sport is a universal language and plays a unique role in shaping and showcasing
Australia’s identity, values and culture.
•
The values of sport – competition, teamwork and fair play – help build trust between
countries and bring people together.
8. APC and sport & development
•
Sport is a tool that can be utilized to achieve long-term sustainable social and
community outcomes through its ability to support and enable positive social impact
and change.
•
In addition to achieving sports-specific outcomes, sports-based initiatives are
becoming widely recognised as crucial program strategies in addressing specific
health, education and development objectives.
•
While some nations are focused on achieving sport performance outcomes, others
are also looking to better engage with specific groups and sectors of their societies
using sport as a lever for greater inclusion and community development.
•
The APC are recognized as international leaders in this area, and their work has seen
them achieve both ‘sport development’ and ‘sport for development’ outcomes
across the Asia-Pacific region.
•
The APC plays a lead role (with New Zealand) in assisting the Oceania Paralympic
Committee and its members (which include Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New
Guinea) with capacity and capability development and support, which promotes
inclusive participation and high-performance opportunities for people with disability.
•
Previous collaborative work between the APC and organisations such as the
University of Canberra in the Asia-Pacific region and the Caribbean has improved
sport and health outcomes and promoted positive social integration.
9. APC’s International Sport Development Program
•
The APC’s International Sport Development Program (ISDP) aims to enhance
sustainable sport, health and education systems, and thereby contribute to more
active and inclusive communities in the Oceania and Asia-Pacific regions.
•
The APC and its staff have a long history of projects that enhance leadership
capability, educate on classification, and promote participation and pathways for
people with disability in the Pacific and Carribean regions.
•
The APC is involved with the inaugural Oceania Paralympic Committee AGM in Fiji in
2017.
•
The APC is recognised throughout the Australasian region as a leading sports
organisation able to develop sustainable and viable programs that encourage
active participation.
•
Taking into consideration its knowledge bases, experiences, resources and networks,
the APC have the capability to drive the delivery of the ISDP (with partner support),
through two key modes of delivery:
•
Sport Development – assisting nations and/or regions to develop the systems,
structures and processes that better support people to engage in sport, stay
connected with sport and, depending on their personal ambitions, succeed in sport.
Examples include (but are not limited to):
•
o
Systems analysis, reporting and recommendations (classification, sporting
pathways, high performance, etc.).
o
Strategy development and implementation (participation and talent
identification, etc.).
o
Professional development (coach development, skill acquisition, leadership,
communication, decision making and negotiation skills training)
Sport for Development – assisting nations and/or regions to address specific
development objectives using sports-based initiatives as the basis of strategy.
Examples include (but are not limited to):
o
o
o
•
Diversity and inclusion programs (promoting gender equity, empowering
women into leadership, increased participation in sport by people with
disability etc.).
Education programs to support health initiatives and economic development.
Leadership and change management training, particularly targeting policy
makers and government officials.
The use of sport in this context and as a catalyst for social change helps to alter the
way people think and feel about disadvantaged population groups and also
changes the way people think and feel about themselves, and their position in
society.
10.
Contact
If there are any follow up questions regarding this submission, please address them to:
Dr Paul Oliver
GM Stakeholder Engagement
Australian Paralympic Committee