A 25-strong NZ Paralympic Team will wear the fern with pride as the final make up of Para athletes and 40 Support Staff was confirmed today for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
At the Farewell event staged in Auckland tonight (Wednesday 24 July) the Team – which will feature Para athletes across eight Para sports, two more than at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was unveiled.
The Team comprises 11 Para athletes who will make their Paralympic debuts and 14 Paralympians who have appeared at previous Paralympic Games. Leading the way is Paralympian #148 Michael Johnson MNZM (Shooting Para sport), who is making a record-equalling sixth Paralympic Games appearance for New Zealand to match the feat of Paralympian #4 Graham Condon QSM (who competed between 1968-1988).
The Team features Wojtek Czyz, the first New Zealand Para athlete to in compete Para badminton, Matthew Britz, the first Para table tennis player for 48 years and Neelam O’Neill, the first female Shooting Para sport athlete for 40 years.
Featuring 11 women and 14 men, the Team has a broad geographic spread from across New Zealand, with Para athletes hailing from Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Canterbury, West Coast and Otago.
The cultural make-up of Para athletes forming the NZ Paralympic Team includes – Chinese, Maori, Tongan, Dutch, Samoan, Fijian-Indian and South African.
The oldest member of the Team for Paris 2024 is 62-year-old Paralympian #204 Greg Reid (Shooting Para sport), with the youngest member Para swimmer Gabriella Smith, 18.
Paralympian #164 Cameron Leslie MNZM and Paralympian #195 Anna Grimaldi MNZM were also unveiled at the Farewell event as the two New Zealand Paralympic Team flagbearers for the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which takes place along the Avenue Champs Elysees and the Place de la Concorde on 29 August (NZ time).
Leslie, a three-time Paralympic swimming gold medallist, said of being given the role: “It’s an absolute honour and something incredibly humbling. I’m proud to be part of the history of the Paralympic Movement in New Zealand and to lead the Paris 2024 Team at the Opening Ceremony is going to be special. I know many people who have supported me over the years will be super stoked.”
Grimaldi, who has claimed back-to-back Paralympic long jump T47 titles at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games, said: “I couldn’t be more honoured to be one of the Team flagbearers with Cam. When I was asked, I was really emotional. To have been thought of as a leader in this space makes me proud of how far I’ve come in my career.
“I can’t wait to get to Paris and carry the flag alongside Cam. It is going to be one of the highlights of my career.”
Raylene Bates MNZM, the NZ Paralympic Team Chef de Mission, said she is looking forward to leading the NZ Paralympic Team as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
“I’m very excited and honoured to lead such a diverse team of athletes, which includes a healthy blend of Paralympic debutants and seasoned campaigners across eight different Para sports.
“For the NZ Paralympic Team to comprise Para athletes across such a range of Para sports, including our first ever Para badminton player, bodes well not only for our potential success in Paris but also for future Games.
“Some of our athletes are ranked very highly and there is a high level of expectation but from my perspective it is all about providing an environment which allows the Para athletes to perform at their best both in Paris and at the Shooting Para sport base in Chateauroux.
“We are thrilled to be competing in Paris, which is hosting a Paralympic Games for the first time. The city has a proven track record of hosting magnificent sporting events – and we can’t wait to get over to the French capital and compete.”
For a full list of Para athletes and Support Staff as part of the NZ Paralympic Team for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, go to the Paris 2024 page.
