Our Paralympic History

 

The inaugural Paralympic Games unfolded in 1960 in Rome, Italy. Born from the vision of Sir Ludwig Guttmann, a pioneering neurologist, these Games emerged as an extension of the Stoke Mandeville Games, founded in 1948 in the aftermath of World War 2, as an annual sporting competition for those with spinal injuries. With just 400 athletes from 23 countries, the first Paralympics marked a groundbreaking moment, showcasing the athletic prowess and resilience of people with disabilities on an international stage.

Dr George Bedbrook, a former student at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, established a spinal clinic at Royal Perth Hospital in 1954. This then led to the first Australian team being sent to the Stoke-Mandeville games in 1957. Gradually this team then became a club, formed at Royal Perth Hospital, known as Wheelchair Sports WA.
Rebound WA (formerly Wheelchair Sports WA) has seen members represent since the first edition of the Paralympic Games and we are very proud of our heritage as one of the founding members of the Paralympic games and inaugural host of the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in 1962.

A complete list of Rebound WA (Wheelchair Sports WA) Athletes at the Paralympic Games:

1960 – Rome

400 Athletes from 23 Countries competed in Olympic Sports of Archery, Basketball, fencing, Javelin, Shotput and Swimming as well as the additional Paralympic sports of Dartchery, Precision Javelin and the Indian Club Throw (All 3 have since been replaced by more competitive events).

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • Bill Mather-Brown
  • Roger Cockerill
  • Kevin Cunningham
  • Chris O’Brien
  • Frank Ponta
  • John Turich
  • John Johnstone (Manager)

1964 – Tokyo

370 Athletes from 22 Nations gathered in the Yoyogi Olympic Village for the 5 day 15-event Paralympics. The new events of 60 metre dash, 240 metre shuttle relay, Wheelchair slalom, Weightlifting and Discus were added to the program for the event.

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • Bill Mather-Brown
  • Lionel Cousins
  • Elizabeth Edmonson
  • Marion O’Brien
  • Frank Ponta
  • Sir George Bedbrook (Team Leader)
  • John Johnstone (Manager)

1968 – Tel Aviv

Due to organisational difficulties in Mexico, the games were moved to Tel Aviv where 750 competitors from 29 Countries competed. the United States proved to be the dominant nation winning the most Gold medals, as it had done in the previous 2 iterations of the games.

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • Bill Mather-Brown
  • John Beattie
  • Peter Burt
  • Kevin Cunningham
  • Lorraine Dodd
  • Elizabeth Edmonson
  • Marion O’Brien
  • Frank Ponta
  • Sir George Bedbrook (SMGF Delegate)
  • John Johnstone (Manager)

1972 – Heidelberg

1000 athletes made of up 273 Women competed in these games remembered for their large and Ebullient crowds. Blind German athletes participated in several events setting the stage for their later inclusion in separate competitions of athletes with other disabilities.

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • John Dwyer
  • Frank Ponta
  • Cliff Rickard
  • Victor Salvameni
  • Nadine Mather-Brown (Team Nurse)

1976 – Toronto

Called the Torontolympiad, the 5th Paralympic games accelerated the movement by the official recognition of bind and amputee athletes who participated in a number of events. Nearly 1560 athletes competed and for the first time Wheelchair races were held on an oval track in the 200, 400, 800 and 1500 metre events. the games were acclaimed an unqualified success

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • Harry Moseby
  • Frank Ponta
  • Victor Salvameni
  • Les Matthews (escort)

1980 – Arnheim

The American led boycott of the Moscow Olympics precluded the Paralympics being held in the Soviet Union but Arnheim proved to be a superb choice. Nearly 2000 athletes from 42 Countries competed over Two weeks of competition, with performances showing incredible improvements from previous games

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • Peter Burt
  • Robert Augustin
  • Len Ettridge

1984 – New York/Stoke Mandeville

The 1984 Paralympics were divided with the wheelchair games being held in Stoke Mandeville and other federations competing at Nassau County, Long Island, New York. The schism created actually increased the credibility of the Paralympics because the ICO President, Juan Samaranch, decreed that both games be held under the patronage of the IOC. The combined sites attracted 3000 athletes in all classes from 45 countries, with the new class of ‘les Autres’ (the others) formed. The Marathon was also introduced for wheelchair racers.

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • John Frederico
  • Mark Pope
  • Mandy Rose
  • Norma Beer (Team Nurse)
  • Doug Thompson (Escort)

1988 – Seoul

For the first time, Paralympians gained access to all the major Olympic facilities and competed in the same venues used by their Olympic counterparts. The opening and closing ceremonies were almost identical to the Olympics and attended by a sellout crows of 70,000 in the Olympic Stadium. Nearly 4,000 athletes from 62 countries competed, with the USA entering the largest squad of 376 athletes.

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • John Frederico
  • John Hunt
  • Craig Parsons
  • Bruce Wallrodt
  • Norma Beer (Team Nurse)

1992 – Barcelona

A total of 15 sports, 13 of which were Olympic events provided the avenue for competition in Barcelona. Another innovation for the Barcelona games was to allow athletes with different disabilities to participate in the same events, hence elevating competitive standards and promoting greater interest from spectators. the Barcelona Paralympics hosted over 1.386 Million spectators with sell out crowds at 46 events.

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • David Bonavita
  • Priya Cooper
  • Louise Sauvage
  • Bruce Wallrodt
  • Mandy Rose
  • Norma Beer (Team Nurse)

1996 – Atlanta

The 10th Paralympic Games were held in Atlanta , the home of Coca Cola and the birthplace of Martin Luther King. More then 3,500 athletes from 120 countries competed in more than 17 sporting events. The Australian contingency of 162 athletes broke 18 world records in the athletics and swimming and came home with 42 Gold, 37 Silver and 27 Bronze Medals, finishing 2nd in the overall medal count.

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • Ben Cox
  • Paul Nunnari
  • Priya Cooper
  • Louise Sauvage
  • Bruce Wallrodt
  • Mandi Rose
  • Norma Beer (Team Nurse)

2000 – Sydney

The Sydney Paralympic Games was the second largest sporting event ever held in Australia. The Paralympics brought together nearly 4,000 of the World’s elite disabled athletes from 122 countries, making them the largest in Paralympic history. Over 1.1million tickets were sold with athletes regularly competing in front of packed stadiums. the Australian contingent of 278 Athletes topped the medal count for the first time, with an amazing 63 Gold, 39 Silver and 47 Bronze Medals.

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • Paul Barnett
  • Justin Eveson
  • Priya Cooper
  • Lynda holt
  • Jeff Lane
  • Brad Ness
  • Louise Sauvage
  • Bruce Wallrodt
  • Paul Nunnari
  • Craig Parsons
  • Stacey Williams
  • Hayden Clark (Escort)

2004 – Athens

The 2004 Athens Paralympic games were the record breaking games. A record 3,969 athletes from 136 nations took part, with 304 World records and 448 Paralympic records broken. these games saw the emergence of China as the new power i Paralympic sports and for the first time ever both the Olympics and Paralympics had the same organising committee. The Australian contingent of 144 athletes finished second in the overall medal count with 100 medals (26 Gold, 38 Silver and 36 Bronze).

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • Justin Eveson
  • Shaun Norris
  • Grant Boxall
  • Brad Dubberley
  • Dianne Saunders
  • Brad Ness
  • Louise Sauvage
  • Bruce Wallrodt
  • Paul Nunnari
  • Stacey Williams
  • Katrina Porter
  • Mark Le Flohic
  • Claire Mclean
  • Gary Lees (Staff)
  • Kim Ellwood (Staff)
  • Andrew Budge (Staff)
  • Luke Vladich (Staff)
  • Murray Treseder (Staff)
  • Kelvin Browner (Staff)
  • Craig Friday (Staff)

2008 – Beijing

The 2008 Paralympic Games were held in Beijing, China, and the promise of a “games of equal splendour” shone through from the opening to the closing ceremony. The games will long be remembered for the amazing stadiums and record crowds in attendance at all sports. 1.9 million tickets were sold, with athletes regularly competing in front of sold out stadiums. Almost 4,000 athletes from a record 147 nations participated in the Beijing games. 279 World Records and 339 Paralympic records were broken and these games confirmed China as the World power in Paralympic sport. The Australian Contingent of 170 athletes finished 4th on the overall medal count with 79 medals (23 Gold, 29 Silver & 27 Bronze).

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • Justin Eveson
  • Shaun Norris
  • Grant Boxall
  • Brad Scott
  • Brad Ness
  • Katrina Porter
  • Mark Le Flohic
  • Michael Hartnett
  • Clare Burzynski
  • Cobi Crispin
  • Damien Bowen
  • Madison De Rozario
  • Jeremy Tidy
  • Darren Gardiner
  • Gary Lees (Staff)
  • Kim Ellwood (Staff)
  • Ben Ettridge (Staff)
  • Mel Tantrum (Staff)
  • Ian Lowther(Staff)
  • Kelvin Browner (Staff)
  • Craig Friday (Staff)

2012 – London

The 2012 Paralympic Games were held in London, England, returning to the spiritual birthplace of the Paralympic movement for the first time. The Games were an incredible success with 2.7 million tickets sold, making them the first ever sold out Paralympic Games. The Games saw the emergence of social media with more then 1.3 million tweets posted during the games. Over 4200 athletes from a record 165 nations participated in the London Games. 252 World Records and 422 Paralympic Records were broken with China dominating the competition, winning over double second place Russia. The Australian Contingent pf 161 athletes finished 5th on the medal count with 85 medals (32 Gold, 23 Silver & 30 Bronze).

Rebound WA Athletes:

  • Justin Eveson
  • Shaun Norris
  • Brad Scott
  • Brad Ness
  • Katrina Porter
  • Michael Hartnett
  • Clare Nott
  • Amber Merritt
  • Sarah Vinci
  • Sam Harding
  • Nigel Barley
  • Damien Bowen
  • Madison De Rozario
  • Darren Gardiner
  • John Triscari (Staff)
  • Jenni Banks (Staff)
  • Ben Ettridge (Staff)

2016 – Rio De Janeiro

The 2016 Paralympic Games were held from the 7th to the 18th of September in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The Games will be remembered to be filled with not only World Records, stand out performances and stories of overcoming adversity but also firsts. Rio’s Games were the first to be held in Latin American and also for the first time in paralympic history we saw 2 refugee athletes enter the games as independent Paralympic athletes and not being linked to a nation. We also saw the introduction of 2 new sports to the Paralympic schedule; Para-Canoe and Para-Triathlon. Australia was represented by 177 of the 4,318 athletes in the games, coming away with 22 Gold, 30 Silver and 29 Bronze medals, resulting in a 5th place finish in the overall medal count.

Rebound WA Members:

  • Adam Deans
  • Madison De Rozario
  • Brant Garvey
  • Guy Harrison-Murray
  • Brad Ness
  • Shaun Norris
  • Brad Scott
  • Madeleine Scott
  • Anton Zappelli

Did you know we host a range of activities for adults and children with disabilities to get active?

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