At UniSC, high-performance athletes excel in study, research, training, and competition, supported by purpose-built facilities, world-leading coaches, performance specialists, and sport and exercise scientists.
Welcome to UniSC Para Sport, housed right here at the University of the Sunshine Coast. The world-class facilities at UniSC make us the ideal home for a multi-sport community of Para athletes.
Para Sport is a natural extension of UniSC’s renowned High Performance Student Athlete program, utilising our purpose-built facilities to create many exciting opportunities for teaching, research and external engagement.
Bringing together athletes, coaches, teams, sports organisations and the wider community, UniSC Para Sport is an inclusive program where partnerships are enriched, built upon a shared love of sport and a firm belief in the power of equal opportunity.
We’re proud to be the Queensland university leading the way in advancing Paralympic sport by providing the perfect mix of training, research, teaching and engagement opportunities.
Training
Accessibility is a key design element of our infrastructure at UniSC, so we have the optimal training environment for many Paralympic sports such as wheelchair rugby and swimming, whose athletes have higher support needs than athletes without a disability.
UniSC Para Sport builds on the work that has already been done to create an ideal training facility for athletes of all abilities, which is especially relevant and exciting leading into the 2032 Olympic Games.
Research
Our researchers have a golden opportunity to contribute to Australian Paralympic excellence thanks to our Para Sport program. The daily training sessions taking place are not just of benefit to athletes, they are also opportunities for UniSC researchers and research candidates to collect consistent data that can in turn help improve training practices. It’s like having an evidence-based research laboratory on our doorstep.
Teaching and learning
UniSC students seeking careers in occupational therapy and sport sciences have the advantage of gaining invaluable real-life experience working with people and athletes with a disability who are training on site. Students have the unique opportunity to learn from experts with an enthusiasm for Para sport, while gaining first-hand knowledge in the complexities of working with athletes with disabilities.
Partnerships and engagement
The University of the Sunshine Coast has a rich history of working alongside major sport stakeholders to create opportunities for athletes, sports teams, and researchers/students in sport sciences.
UniSC Para Sport opens wider possibilities for new and existing partners who have a specific interest in this area of sport to network, share knowledge and collaborate.
Our partnerships
“UniSC has a successful history of supporting Para athletes and teams with industry funded programs for swimming, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, and Para cycling. QAS has been among the industry partners that have aided the University in the establishment and building of these programs, and it is delighted by the outcomes already achieved. UniSC Para Sport will take these initiatives to a new level by co-locating sports that have similar requirements in terms of catering for athletes with an impairment and ensuring world-class support for the current athletes and teams.”
Cameron Pope
Director
Performance Partnerships
Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS)
Swimming
Swimming Australia partnered with UniSC in 2011 to support nationally categorised Paralympic athletes on the Sunshine Coast. The partnership is funded through Swimming Australia and the Queensland Academy of Sport.
Wheelchair Rugby
Wheelchair Rugby partnered with UniSC in 2018 to support nationally categorised athletes on the Sunshine Coast. This partnership is funded through Paralympics Australia to create an evidence-based training environment, allowing sport science researchers to collect data at training sessions and share it with coaches to inform better performance outcomes for Australian Wheelchair Rugby.
Wheelchair Basketball
Wheelchair Basketball partnered with UniSC in 2020 to support nationally categorised athletes on the Sunshine Coast.
Athletics and cycling
Our High Performance Student Athlete program supports para-athletes in athletics and cycling.
Contact
Dr Mark Sayers
Associate Professor, Sports Biomechanics | Director, High Performance Sport | School of Health