Celebrating Excellence and Inclusion in Disability Sports and Recreation
The 2024 Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards took place on Thursday, 3rd October, at EY in Melbourne. A vibrant atmosphere filled the room as over 160 guests from the disability sporting community gathered to share their wealth of knowledge and experiences during the event, with the iconic Melbourne skyline as a stunning backdrop.
This year saw a record number of nominations, highlighting the ongoing growth and achievements in inclusive sport and recreation. The panel of independent judges had a tough job selecting winners, as the quality of nominations continue to rise each year. The awards celebrate the athletes, volunteers, officials, participants, clubs, venues, and programs that empower people with a disability to get active and achieve their goals.
We were honored to have Iwan Walters, Victorian State member of Parliament and Secretary for Disability, attend and provide a special welcome to the ceremony, which was emceed by Melbourne Broadcaster Sally Warhaft.
DSR CEO Liz Tesone spoke on the night's importance in her opening speech.
"We are so proud that this is the 15th year of these awards, and they continue to grow in importance”
When speaking about her son, who has an intellectual disability, Liz explained the role sport and recreation plays for their family.
“...it provides a community that we as a family are welcomed and accepted in to. I am personally and professionally grateful to this community and the incredible people in this room who contribute to it so passionately”
"...let us all be inspired to continue to work collectively to move forward and celebrate what is truly possible for people with disability."
Nominations for the 2024 VDSR Awards are for achievements, initiatives, programs, activities and developments that took place between July 2023 and June 2024.
The 2024 Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Award recipients are:
Volunteer of the Year Sponsored by etrainu
Madeline Seiter - Achilles Melbourne Incorporated
Team of the Year Sponsored by Inspire Group, DSR's preferred learning partner
Triathlon Team - Inclusive Sports Training
Coach/Fitness Leader of the Year Sponsored by My Sport Live
Manuela (Manny) Dalla Costa - Special Olympics Melbourne Inner East
Sport Initiative of the Year Sponsored by Reclink Australia
Bell Ball – Basketball for those who are blind or have low vision - Frankston and District Basketball Association
Active Recreation and Leisure Initiative of the Year Sponsored by Clublinks
Achilles Hike - Achilles Melbourne Incorporated
Inclusive Sport, Recreation or Open Space Infrastructure Sponsored by Polytan
Northcote Aquatic Recreation Centre - Clublinks
Marg Angel Junior Sportsperson of the Year Sponsored by The Carbine Club
Chloe Gee - Tenpin Bowling Victoria
Masters Sportsperson of the Year Sponsored by The Owl Insights
Ned Brewer-Maiga - Cricket Victoria
Community Team Member of the Year Sponsored by The Y Victoria
Omar Coles - Helping Hoops
Madeline Seiter - Achilles Melbourne Incorporated
Elite Sportsperson of the Year Sponsored by In Place Living
Alana Forster - Aus Cycling
Sarah Larcombe - Sport Climbing Australia / Adaptive Climbing Victoria
Kevin Coombs Lifetime Achievement Award
Elle Steele, PLY
Congratulations to all nominees and award winners!
Take a look through the award night photos, by Mark Avellino. They can be found on our Facebook page.
Read more about the annual VDSR Awards and view the live stream recording on our website.
Thank you to our sponsors!
The award process and the event would not be possible without the generous support from our sponsors.
We would like to extend a wholehearted thank you to the following sponsors.
Event Silver Sponsor: Polytan,
Event Networking Sponsor: In Place Living
Award Sponsors: The Y Victoria, The Owl Insights, Reclink Australia, The Carbine Club, Clublinks, My Sport Live, Inspire Group, etrainu
We would also like to thank the incredible team at EY for hosting our awards night.
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