PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDS OF THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC MOVEMENTS IN QUEENSLAND LAUNCHED

A Parliamentary Friendship Group (PFG) celebrating the important role Olympic and Paralympic sports play in the Queensland community has launched, with an opening function at Parliament House in Brisbane tonight.

The Parliamentary Friends of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements is a bi-partisan group open to all Members and will promote the values of Olympism and Paralympism in Queensland.

Images from the launch event will be uploaded later this evening here.

Co-chaired by Mr Joe Kelly MP, (ALP) Member for Greenslopes and Mr Tim Mander MP, (LNP) Member for Everton, the group is the first state-based Parliamentary Friendship Group celebrating the benefits of Olympic and Paralympic sport.

More than 40 Members of Parliament were joined by Mr Matt Carroll, CEO of the Australian Olympic Committee, Ms Lynne Anderson, CEO of Paralympics Australia and a wide range of Queensland sport administrators, Olympians, Paralympians, business and government representatives to launch the PFG.

Its objectives are:

to promote, raise awareness of and encourage participation in sport for benefits of health, longevity, fitness, skill, achievement, social interaction, wellbeing and other benefits of exercise for all individuals in Queensland;

to promote the fundamental principles and values of Olympism and Paralympism in Queensland, particularly in the fields of sport, health and education, by promoting Olympic and Paralympic sporting, health and educational programmes in all levels of schools, sports and physical education institutions and universities;

to promote practice of sport as a human right where every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. and to recognise the heritage, culture and contribution of our nation’s first people, and to give practical support to the issue of Indigenous reconciliation through sport.

AOC CEO Matt Carroll welcomed the launch of the PFG at an exciting time for the Olympic movement in Queensland.

"Thank you to all the Queensland members for supporting this wonderful initiative and for your embrace of the immense benefits that Olympic and Paralympic sport can bring to your communities," Mr Carroll said.

"From improving health and wellbeing in communities through sport across the state to inspiring our next generation of Olympians and Paralympians. Olympic and Paralympic sport is a unifying force for good.

"Queensland has shown it’s incredible enthusiasm for the Olympic and Paralympic ideals; since launching in Queensland in 2018, Olympics Unleashed, presented by Optus, has taken Olympians and athletes aspiring for Tokyo into more than 600 schools from Cape York to Coolangatta, inspiring more than 94 000 Queensland students to be the best they can be.

"Right now hundreds of Queensland athletes are training and competing to realise their Olympic or Paralympic dream in Tokyo – and in less than 140 days those athletes will help inspire, thrill and unite millions of Australians cheering them on back home.

"With the exciting prospect of a potential home Games in 2032, we look forward to continuing to work with the members of the PFG to promote and maximise the benefits Olympic and Paralympic sport can deliver to the people of Queensland."

Paralympics Australia CEO Lynne Anderson said the value of the newly-launched group will extend far beyond Olympic and Paralympic sport.

"The Olympic and Paralympic Movements our unique. We seek, through sport, to improve health, equality and social inclusion for people.

"Central to this objective for Paralympics Australia is changing the narrative around disability and highlighting the benefits and opportunities that come from diversity and inclusion. Our athletes have shown us that real change comes from what can be done, rather than what can’t be done.

"We’re keenly focused on taking practical steps to ensure that all Australians, particularly those with a disability, can find the opportunity to engage in sport to the level of their choice, free from barriers that have previously been in the way.

"A potential 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Queensland presents a tremendous opportunity to champion societal change for all Australians with a disability. This is a ‘once in a generation’ chance to potentially bridge the gap when it comes to creating access to increased health, education, employment, transport and accessibility and the related social inclusion benefits."

Co-chairs Joe Kelly MP and Tim Mander MP were excited to launch the bi-partisan group.

"The Olympic and Paralympic movements inspire young people to try, to get involved in sport and to strive to keep improving," Mr Kelly said. "There will be young kids watching our athletes in Tokyo and thinking ‘I want to do that in Brisbane in 2032’."

"There’s many lessons for everybody in society from the Olympic and Paralympic movements, including members of Parliament. Lessons of trying to do your best, trying to rise above the day to day to see the bigger picture," Mr Kelly concluded.

"This is a once in a generation opportunity for Queensland as a whole," Mr Mander said. "As a sports lover I’m excited about it but also using this as a catalyst for infrastructure development.

"In these tough times in recent years, Olympians and Paralympians have shown they can lift the morale of the country. This Friendship Group is a great opportunity to promote enjoyment all the benefits of sport – health, community as well as individual accomplishments."

Images from the launch event will be uploaded later this evening here.

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