The paralympic journey | From rehab to elite | Part 1

Join wheelchair racing legend Louise Sauvage for the intriguing history of The Paralympics. The games had their beginnings back in 1948 as life-saving rehabilitation for World War 2 soldiers but today have become an elite sporting event watched by millions. Along that journey Australia radically changed the way the world saw athletes with a disability by treating them equally to the Olympic competitors at the Sydney 2000 games. 

Louise introduces us to some Australian sportspeople with remarkable stories. Aboriginal wheelchair basketball player Kevin Coombs who went to five Paralympic games; wheelchair table tennis star and backbone of the Australian athlete community Danni di Toro and Ryley Batt who stubbornly refused to use a wheelchair as a child but is now a rugby champion.

• Presenter - Louise Sauvage
• Producer - Sarah Allely
• Sound designer - Russell Stapleton

• Supervising producer - Claudia Taranto

  For a deeper dive into the history of the Paralympics check out the podcast series Unbroken.