Following the Parisian grandeur of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Brisbane has much to prove in its role as host in 2032. Old Girl Natalie Charlton (’12) works for Paralympics Australia as a Pathways Specialist, and as Brisbane looks towards its own Olympic and Paralympic plans, I thought it timely to ask Nat, who travelled to Paris as part of the Operations Team for Team Australia, about her work and the particular importance of the Paralympic Games.

As a Pathways Specialist, Nat guides and supports pathways that identify and develop Para-athletes in their progress towards high performance representation of their country, working with both new and current athletes. Nat is also a Team Manager for the Queensland Wheelchair Rugby Program and Board Member of Proud 2 Play, an Australian organisation dedicated to promoting LGBTQI+ inclusion in sports and recreation without fear or discrimination.

“In addition to this, I also work with a portfolio of Paralympic sports, national pathway projects, and the National Institute Network – this includes working with the Queensland Academy of Sports on projects like their YouFor2032 Program, and, more recently, the Northern Territory Sports Academy, where we have been able to establish the new Para Futures Program to support the development of pre-elite, and the growth of Para-pathways, in the Northern Territory.”

The YouFor2032 Program aims at identifying Queensland’s next generation of elite athletes for the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games. It could not be a timelier project: research from Allianz Australia has shown that 50% of children with disabilities stop participating in sport by age 11, demonstrating the need for sporting environments that support the growth and professional avenues of Para-athletes. YouFor2032 is just one of these amazing projects focused on providing equal sporting opportunities for all Queensland athletes.

Passionate about facilitating equal access to inclusive sporting environments with intersectional practices at the forefront, Nat is also part of the team building the first National Intersectionality Framework for Australian Sport, a particularly exciting development for inclusive sporting in Australia.

“I think it’s a brilliant starting point for the sports industry to embrace and leverage social perceptions and expectations of inclusion and belonging, while also increasing our potential for performance success.

“Equal access to inclusive sporting environments is something that goes well beyond the physical accessibility of a space (although that is not to be taken for granted!) and needs to prioritise not only the environments that we’re building, but also the policies and procedures that govern our sports, and the cultures we create, and challenge some of our beliefs and practices that ultimately shape the experience of each individual,” Nat said.

The London 2012 Games had a significant impact on attitudes towards people with disabilities, with research showing that one in three people had changed their attitudes following the Paralympic Games. The 2012 Paralympics had a huge effect on how people perceive disability and demonstrated the immense strength and athleticism of Paralympians. For Nat, sport plays a pivotal role in acting as a platform to promote change in society, with visibility a critical element of education.

“The size and exposure of this type of event catapults the visibility of both Paralympic sport and Paralympic athletes and shows people what is possible. We have incredible Paralympic athletes in Australia (and around the world) to highlight, who are extremely talented, elite athletes, with brilliant stories to tell – the more we can see them do what they do and hear the messages they have to share, the stronger our society can become!”

Particularly within Australia, given sport’s role as a cornerstone of our culture, sport is a vehicle of connection, pride and belonging, uniting people from all different backgrounds under the guise of a shared community. However, as Nat notes, the opposite can become apparent when belonging and connection for all members of society are not prioritised. Hence, an intersectional framework behind sporting environments, a framework that will make sport welcoming to all participants of all abilities, is imperative.

Brisbane now looks towards its own Olympic legacy with the impending 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Nat

hopes that the legacy Brisbane leaves in both regards to sporting, but more extensively, as a city, will be far-reaching.

“These home Games are Brisbane’s opportunity to showcase an accessible city, and also leverage such to ensure that Brisbane and Queensland locals have access to sporting facilities, transport, and communities that they can actively be part of during the Games and well beyond 2032.”

Nat’s work is a testament to the importance of the Paralympics in challenging assumptions and championing the talents of Australian and global Paralympic athletes. As Brisbane continues its planning and development for 2032, the goal to bring people together, create change, and make the world a better place demonstrates that the Paralympics transcends sport; it is about connection, visibility, and community.

By Lizzie Fowler (’19)

Relationships and Mentoring Manager