Queensland Government announces support for UQ Paralympic Centre

22 Mar 2023

Dear staff,

Today I have had the privilege of attending the Brisbane 2032 Legacy Forum. It was wonderful to be there when the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the government’s support for a world-leading Paralympic Centre of Excellence at our St Lucia campus. As the Premier said, “This is what Legacy is all about: the long-lasting benefits to our community long after the Closing Ceremonies.”

The international-standard facility will be co-located with the proposed Health and Recreation Precinct. It will help to deliver more equitable access to sport for people with disabilities and increase participation at all levels, from grassroots to the Paralympics. The Centre will also assist para-athletes to train for sporting competition, including in 20 of the 23 Paralympic sports.

The Queensland Government and the University have each committed $44 million in funding. Pending further funding, we will aim to start construction within 2–3 years.

We have also this week signed a partnership agreement with Paralympics Australia. Over the coming months, we will be working with them and with Government to develop design concepts to ensure that the Centre is fully accessible.

This is a significant project for Queensland and for people with disabilities. I would like to acknowledge Professor Bruce Abernethy, Professor John Cairney and Associate Professor Sean Tweedy and their teams at Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, as well as Shannon Willoughby, Executive Director, Government Partnerships and Policy for their support, passion and vision for this project.

With best wishes
Debbie

 

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