Four elite athletes have each received a $10,000 scholarship to help them reach the London Paralympic Games under WorkCover’s Paralympic Development Scholarship Program.

As part of an ongoing partnership between WorkCover NSW and the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC), the four scholarships form part of WorkCover’s annual $300,000 APC sponsorship.

General Manager of WorkCover’s Work Health and Safety Division, John Watson, said these scholarships will help athletes reach their full potential as they can use scholarship funds for training and competition, personal development and travel.

“Four recipients were selected from 23 applicants who were eligible either as a result of being affected by a workplace injury, or who demonstrated a strong commitment to education and development,” he said.

Recipients were selected by a panel consisting of representatives from WorkCover NSW, the NSW Sporting Injuries Committee and the APC.

The scholarship recipients have met selection requirements for the shadow squad for London and are in contention for final selection in the Australian team.

“The WorkCover NSW scholarships help Australia’s Paralympic athletes dedicate more time to their sport, training and competition by helping them with ongoing expenses such as replacing equipment and covering travel costs which are common and expensive demands of high performance sport,” said Australian Paralympic Committee CEO, Jason Hellwig.
 
“The Australian Paralympic Committee is proud to partner WorkCover NSW so our athletes can benefit from this wonderful initiative in a very practical way.”

“WorkCover NSW has been a proud sponsor of the APC since 2001 and our partnership continues to be a major success in helping industry, business and the wider community understand the significance of workplace safety and the physical, emotional, social, and financial costs of workplace injuries,” Mr Watson said.

“WorkCover’s Paralympic Speakers Program reaches thousands of workers each year and during 2011 athletes raised awareness of workplace safety at more than 160 businesses across metropolitan and regional New South Wales.

“Our Paralympic ambassadors personalise an emotive workplace safety message and are also proof that people can return to work and life after sustaining a serious injury.

“WorkCover and the APC remain committed to supporting Paralympic athletes achieve their goals through a balanced approach to sport, education and work,” Mr Watson said.

“Although workplace injuries in New South Wales are at some of their lowest levels in more than two decades, it is important to keep safety on the job at the forefront of our minds,” he said.

“WorkCover and the NSW Government remain committed to working with industry to help make businesses safer and more productive.”

The recipients of the 2012 WorkCover Paralympic Scholarship Program are:

Liesl Tesch - the 42-year-old Woy Woy school teacher and five-time Paralympian has recently retired from wheelchair basketball and taken up Paralympic sailing. Last month Liesl and her sailing partner won gold in the 2011 World Cup in Miami and bronze at the World Championships. A bicycle accident led to Liesl’s incomplete paraplegia.

Tristian Knowles – the 28-year-old Fairlight resident and wheelchair basketball competitor represented the Rollers at two Paralympic Games, taking home silver from Athens and gold from Beijing and more recently helped the team to earn gold at the 2010 World Championships. Cancer caused Tristian to have an above the knee amputation at the age of nine.

Brett Stibners – the 32-year-old Oaks Flats resident and Wollongong Rollers Hawks team member was pivotal in leading the Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team to gold in Beijing. Before his injury, Brett represented Australia at indoor hockey and is keen to replicate the Rollers Paralympic gold medal performance. As a 21-year-old apprentice, Brett was driving home after a night shift when he fell asleep at the wheel and was involved in a serious car accident.

Sian Lucas - the 22-year-old Grose Wold resident and Paralympic swimmer achieved a personal best at the Beijing Games, coming fifth in the 100m backstroke. Before her injury Sian played able-bodied representative water polo and netball for Western Sydney and is continuing to train hard to reach her goal of selection into the Australian team.

Visit www.paralympic.org.au [1] for more information on the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Media contact: WorkCover NSW Media Unit 02 4321 5474 or 0413 186 799