Paralympics Australia - IPC & PA Coronavirus Update & AIS Disability Support Pension Compensation Program
IPC Update & Coronavirus Guide
With multiple sport events being cancelled or postponed in recent weeks the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has published a guide for athletes, National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) and International Federations regarding the coronavirus and its impact on the Paralympic Movement.
First and foremost, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are going ahead as planned and preparations continue apace.
Please find the IPC’s latest update for your information here:
Coronavirus Advice
Paralympics Australia has developed the attached Coronavirus (COVID-19) Advice, in consultation with the AIS and AOC, to outline key hygiene protocols that should be observed in your daily training environment, before, during and post-travel, to prevent the spread of infection.
This has been designed to remind athletes and staff of the basic steps to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
This is no different to how teams should behave normally to prevent illness and infection, however, is more important at the present time with the evolving threat of COVID-19 transmission.
View the infographic here:
If you have any questions at all about this infographic or anything about COVID-19, please don’t hesitate to contact PA, Manager Performance Services, Justin Crow on [email protected]
DSP – AIS Compensation Grant program
The ongoing issue of Disability Support Pension for our Paralympic athletes has been the focus of a combined effort to make changes to Federal Government legislation by Paralympics Australia, the AIS and Sport Australia, over the past 4 years.
For those who are not aware, one of the clauses within section 1215 of the Social Security Act (1991) dictates that if an athlete receiving a disability pension is away overseas for more than 4 weeks, their payments are suspended. The only exception to this rule for Paralympic athletes is for the period of the Paralympic Games.
Obviously, over the past 3 years there have been many athletes who have been overseas for extended periods of time for both training and competition, many times for over this 4 week period, who have been disadvantaged.
The AIS has now announced the launch the Compensation Grant program to provide financial support to Paralympians whose Disability Support Pension (DSP) payments have been affected due to travelling outside Australia for training and/or competitions exceeding the allowance of 28 days in a financial year.
Through the Federal Government, the AIS has committed $320,000 over four financial years to support Paralympians whose payments in the four financial years from 2018/19 to 2021/22 have been impacted.
Please find details of the program here:
Compensation Scheme - Grants Guidelines.pdf
Program FAQs here:
Compensation Scheme - FAQs.pdf
Please note all applications close on 31st April 2020.
Supplied by Paralympics Australia
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