The Australian government has announced it will give Paralympics Australia extra funding to close the bonus pay gap for those para-athletes winning medals at the Tokyo Games. The Australian Olympic Committee rewards Olympians with prizes of up to $20,000 for reaching a podium. However, para-athletes don’t get anything from Paralympics Australia (PA), which doesn’t have the funds to give out bonuses.
The discrepancy had been highlighted to a broader audience during this tournament after AFLW player and Olympic rugby sevens champion Chloe Dalton launched a campaign to fund bonuses and provide parity for Paralympians. Speaking in parliament on September 2nd, Scott Morrison, Australia’s Prime Minister, said the achievements of Australia’s Paralympians – who had won 60 medals so far, including 13 gold – were of national significance and should be recognised in the same way as the Olympians.
Morrison said: “I’m very pleased to announce that the government will provide additional support to Paralympics Australia to ensure our Paralympic medallists will receive equivalent payments to our Olympic medallists,”
