AAWD
Funding Grants
AAWD's second and final round of Funding Grants for 2005-2006 is now open. Funding Guidelines and Application Forms can be downloaded from http://www.sports.org.au/docs/Funding%20Guidelines.pdf. Applications require the endorsement of a member NSOD and close 10 March 2006.

IPC
Samsung Worldwide Partner
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, have signed an agreement, which makes Samsung a Worldwide Partner of the IPC for the year 2006.

Through the support of Samsung, the IPC will be able to communicate the inspiration and excitement of Paralympic sport to a wider audience as well as to invest in the long-term growth of the Paralympic Movement.

"With this new partnership, Samsung is excited to broaden its contribution to the Olympic Movement by providing support for the Paralympics and Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games," said Hay Keong Yang, Samsung Electronics President. "The ability of Paralympic athletes to inspire people and to encourage them to challenge themselves is something we admire greatly. It is our honour to formally help support their efforts."

Samsung, joining Visa and Otto Bock HealthCare, is the third Worldwide Partner of the IPC.

Paralympic Sport.tv
The Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games will mark the beginning of a new level of broadcasting coverage for Paralympic sport, establishing a unique opportunity to connect with a worldwide audience. It will be the first time that all sports of the Paralympic Winter Games can be seen worldwide: via an Internet television channel

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will, in its capacity as an International Federation (IF) for 13 sports, be the first IF to launch is own Internet television channel: www.paralympicsport.tv. The channel was be launched and is fully operational as of 20 February 2006.

ParalympicSport.TV will be a top quality 24/7 television channel broadcasting via the Internet, free of charge.

2005 Australian Sports Awards

Congratulations to Chris Scott (Cycling), Libby Kosmala (Shooting) and Scott Prosser (Deaf Sports) who have been selected as finalists in the "Sports Person of the Year with a Disability" category of the 2005 Australian Sports Awards. The awards, hosted by the Confederation of Australian Sport, will be presented at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday 22 February. The awards will also be telecast on SBS.

Wheelchair Sports SA

Tara Andrews has resigned from the position of General Manager at Wheelchair Sports SA over the Christmas/New Year period. We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Wheelchair Sports SA's new General Manager, Darren Hams. Darren comes to disability sport with much sports management experience and is excited about this new challenge.

Wheelchair Sports SA has also recently employed Sabrina Hannen as Sport and Recreation Development Officer. Sabrina has a long involvement with Wheelchair Rugby and is also excited about her new role and keen to expand her experience into other sports.

We are looking forward to working with both Darren and Sabrina.

SPORTS NEWS

Archery
Archery Australia National Championships
The 5th Archers with a Disability National Championships will be held as part of the Archery Australia Nationals 23-29 April 2006 in Moorwell, Victoria. For more information and the Entry Kit, please visit http://www.sports.org.au/docs/EntryKit.pdf

Regional Co-ordinators
Robert Turner has recently been appointed as the Regional Coordinator for Archers with a Disability for South Queensland. Robert has been involved in archery over a number of years and is looking forward to the challenge of increasing both the number and skill levels of archers with a disability.

We are still looking for Regional Co-ordinators in other regions throughout Australia, so if you or someone you know is interested please email Vicki O'Brien at: awd@archery.org.au

Athletics
Arrive Alive Summer Down Under
The unofficial World Record set by Spain's Santiago Sanz in the T52 1500 highlighted the 2006 Arrive Alive Summer Down Under. A full listing of the overall Track Meet results can be found at http://nswwsa.org.au/pdf/06SDUInternationalTrackMeet.pdf . This puts Sanz at the top of the International Point Score table - a full listing of which can be found at http://nswwsa.org.au/pdf/06SDUTrackResults.pdf

Kurt Fearnly once again took out the OZ Day 10K Road Race. A full results listing from the 10K can be found at http://nswwsa.org.au/pdf/06SDUOzDayResults.pdf

Commonwealth Games
Congratulations to the following athletes who have been selected to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne:

MEN
100m T12 Jonathan Bernard (19, QLD); Paul Harpur (26, QLD) [Harpur's Guide: Mark Whitman (33, QLD)]; 200m T46 Michael Armstrong (17, ACT); Heath Francis (24, ACT); Tim Matthews (31, VIC); Discus Seated F55/56 Terry Giddy (55, NSW); Richard Nicholson (35, ACT); Bryan Stitfall (21, WA);

WOMEN
100m T38 Lisa McIntosh (23, VIC); Katherine Proudfoot (28, NSW); Katrina Webb (28, SA); 800m T54 Angie Ballard (23, NSW); Christie Dawes (25, NSW); Eliza Stankovic (24, VIC); Shot Seated F54-58 Asti Poole (25, QLD)

STAFF
Assistant Manager Scott Goodman (ACT) EAD Seated Throws Coach Alison O'Riordan (ACT); EAD Sprints Coach Brett Jones (QLD);

Basketball
WNWBL
2006 will see an expanded 5 team competition in the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League, with the entry of the Western Stars (WA) for the first time. The growth in the League will assist to strengthen to Women's National program. Other teams in the league are Queensland Storm (QLD), Hills Hornets (NSW), Norths Bears (NSW) and Knox Raiders (VIC). The season will be played over 3 preliminary rounds, with the top three teams then progressing to the Finals in September. WNWBL Dates are as follows:

April 1-2	Round 1	Sydney
May 6-7	Round 2	Melbourne
August 5-6	Round 3	Brisbane
September 2-3	Finals	Sydney

NWBL
The 2006 National Wheelchair Basketball Season tips off 20-21 May. A home and away season will follow, culminating in the Finals 9-10 September 2006 in Sydney. A great season is assured, so get along and support your local team.

IWBF 2006 World Championships
We wish to congratulate Matt Wells on his appointment as Commissioner for the IWBF 2006 World Championships (Gold Cup) to be held in Amsterdam. This appointment is a great honor for Matt. Sharon Arnold and Gabe Caligiuri have also been appointed as tournament referees. We wish Matt, Sharon and Gabe all the best for a successful tournament.

Cycling/Handcycling
2006 Australian Road Cycling Championships
Cycling Australia will be conducting the 2006 Australian Road Championships for Athletes with Disabilities (AWD's) in conjunction with the 2006 Australian Masters Road Championships (as per this year). These championships are the official national road championships for all AWD's and will be held in Sydney from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th May 2006. Details on event programme, venues & course profiles will be available as soon as confirmed.

Further information is available on the Cycling Australia website www.cycling.org.au .

Wild West Handcycling Tour
Some of the worlds best athletes will be in Perth for the inaugural Mastercard Wild West Handcycling Tour 15 - 19

March 2006. Made up of five stages, the tour will cover a total distance of 135Km

This event will be the biggest of its kind in Australia and will be the first race of the Handcycling Federation's World Cup Series, which will include races in Europe, South Africa and USA. The tour will showcase some of handcycling's best riders in the world, including many of the medallists from the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games.

For more information on this event, please visit http://www.wheelchairsportswa.org.au/default.aspx?et=2&ei=19&subSiteID=3&strMode=newsDisplay&nArticleID=72

Lawn Bowls
2006 National Championships
Wheelchair Sports Victoria will host the 2006 Australian Multi-disability Lawn Bowls National Championships at Darrebin Bowls Club 26 April - 2 May 2006. Please contact Event Co-ordinator, Hilary Poole on email hilaryp@wsv.org.au if you would like further information.

Powerlifting
2006 National Championships
Saturday 18 February once again saw the 2006 Powerlifting National Championships hosted by Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association. As usual there were some impressive displays of strength, with Darren Gardiner lifting 230Kg to take out first place in the Men's Competition. Deahnne McIntyre took out the Women's Division with a lift of 123Kg. Kim Neuenkirchen equalled the Women's CP World Record with a lift of 70Kg.

Swimming
Commonwealth Games
Eight EADs have been selected to represent Australia in swimming at the Games. The athletes selected are - Ben Austin (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle), Sam Bramham (100m freestyle), Matthew Cowdrey (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle), Alex Harris (50m freestyle); Lichelle Clarke (100m freestyle), Katrina Lewis (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle), Prue Watt (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle) and Annabelle Williams (50m freestyle).
The coaches selected are Brendan Keogh, Peter Bishop and Justin Rothwell.

Congratulations and Good Luck to all.

Wheelchair Rugby
2006 Telstra National Wheelchair Rugby League
We are pleased to announce Telstra as the Naming Rights sponsor of the 2006 National Wheelchair Rugby League.

The 2006 league see teams from Qld, NSW, Vic and SA battle it out over 3 tough rounds of competition. Dates for the league are:

27-28 May	Sydney Academy of Sport, Narrabeen
14-16 July	Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre, Adelaide
11-13 August	Melbourne

2006 Canada Cup
The Australia team will head to Canada in June for their last major international hit-out before the World Championships in September. The Canada Cup will see the top 8 teams in the world going head to head over 3 days of intense competition. Australia's team for the Canada Cup will be selected in late April.

2006 Chris Handy Cup
Australia will play host to arch-rivals New Zealand for the 2006 Chris Handy Cu in Adelaide 19 -22 July. In the lead-up to the World Championships in September, this will be an important hit-out against the World number 1.

Tennis
Queensland WC Tennis Open
A small but evenly matched field took to the courts in Caloundra for this year's Queensland WC Tennis Open 27-29 January. After returning to the court at the 2005 Qld Open for doubles, Queenslander David Johnson this year made a successful return to the singles court, taking out
the title over #3 seed Sebastien Husser of France. Johnson capped a successful weekend teaming up with David Coulston to also take out the doubles titles over Lee Hinson and Richard Engles. Pedro Krummeul (GER) won the Consolation Finals and Mikail Scheffers took out the Tie Breaker Shoot Out.

Classic 8s
The popular WC Tennis Classic 8s was once again conducted at the Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne. The men's title was taken out by Michael Jerimiaz, whilst Esther Vergeer took out the Women's competition.

New South Wales WC Tennis Open
2006 saw around 90 players contest the NSW Wheelchair Tennis Open, hosted by NSW Wheelchair Sports Association at the Sydney International Tennis Centre, Sydney Olympic Park.

Once again matches were tightly fought over the week with Michael Jerimiaz and Esther Vergeer emerging victorious at the end of the week.

Australian WC Tennis Open
Michael and Esther followed up their Sydney wins with victory in the year's first Super Series Event - the Australian Wheelchair Tennis Open held in Melbourne. Once again numbers were up on previous years with approximately 100 players taking the court. A full wrap of the tournament can be found at

http://www.tennisaustralia.com.au/pages/default.aspx?id=4&pageId=227

March - May Calendar of Events

March
1-5	Lawn Bowls	Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Assn State Champs	Brisbane QLD
3	Athletics	Telstra A-Series	Brisbane QLD
3-5	Athletics	WA State Championships	Perry Lakes, WA
10-19	Multi-sports	Winter Paralympic Games	Torino, Italy
11-12	Wheelchair Rugby	State Based Camp	TBC
15-19	Handcycling	Wild West Handcycling Tour	Perth, WA
15-26	Multi-sports	Commonwealth Games	Melbourne, VIC
18-19	Wheelchair Rugby	State Based Camp	TBC
18-19	Shooting	Australian Training Camp	Sydney, NSW
25-26	Wheelchair Rugby	State Based Camp	TBC
April
1-2	Wheelchair Rugby	State Based Camp	TBC
1-2	Wheelchair Basketball	WNWBL Round 1	Sydney NSW
7-9	Wheelchair Rugby	NZ Low Point Nationals	Palmerston North NZ
7-13	Wheelchair Basketball	National Junior Championships	Brisbane, QLD
8-9/22-23 TBC	Sitting Volleyball	National Training Camp	Gold Coast, QLD
11-17	Shooting	Australian National Championships for Disabled (rifle)	Melbourne, VIC
13-18	Boccia	Australian Training Camp	Mackay, QLD
15-17	Athletics	Stawell Gift	Stawell VIC
19-21	Wheelchair Rugby	Australian PPP Training Camp	Brisbane, QLD
22-24	Wheelchair Rugby	Queensland WC Rugby "BASH"	Brisbane, QLD
23-29	Archery	Australian National Championships	Melbourne, VIC
27-29	Fencing	World Cup	Montreal, Canada
27-4 May	Lawn Bowls	Multi-Disability National Championships	Melbourne, VIC
May
1-7	Multi Sport (athletics, cycling, swimming, wc b'ball)	Visa Paralympic World Cup	Manchester UK
5-9	Boccia	Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Assn State Championships
5-7	Cycling/Handcyling	National Road Championships	Sydney, NSW
6-7	Wheelchair Basketball	WNWBL Round 2	Melbourne, VIC
6-7	Wheelchair Rugby	NZ WRC 1 - "Bash"	Wellington NZ
13-14	Shooting	SA State Championships (rifle)	Adelaide, SA
19-21	Fencing	World Cup	Lonato, Italy
20-21	Wheelchair Rugby	Maitland Open	Maitland, NSW
20-21	Wheelchair Basketball	NWBL Round 1
20-21	Shooting	Australian Training Camp	Brisbane, QLD
27-28	Wheelchair Basketball	NWBL Round 2
27-28	Wheelchair Rugby	NWRL Round 1	Sydney, NSW
27-28	Shooting	Australian Training Camp	Sydney, NSW
29	Wheelchair Rugby	Australian PPP Training Camp	Sydney, NSW

Subject to alterations
A full Calendar of Events can be found at http://www.sports.org.au/calendar.html


Building A 1 Herb Elliott Ave Sydney Olympic Park Homebush Bay NSW 2127
PO Box S83 Homebush South NSW 2140
Phone + 61 2 9763 5819 Fax + 61 2 9764 3757
ACN 104 461 814
info@sports.org.au
www.sports.org.au