Paralympic Mentoring Program (PMP)

Paralympic gold medallist Liesl Tesch has founded a national paralympic mentoring program. Focusing on everything from sponsorship to building a profile, it’s hoped the program will help current female athletes perform better in Tokyo 2021 and beyond.

While it was originally planned to have athletes with a disability from across the state meet in Canberra, COVID-19 has forced the event to go online.

“This actually has worked better,” said Liesl, “it has brought more flexibility, was a cheaper solution, and actually made the whole process much more accessible for people of all abilities.

“The tailor-made model allows not only for the improvement of sporting performance and provides access to support structures, but it also empowers people living with a disability to live strong and fulfilling lives.”

Carefully selected mentors are asked to work through curriculum modules each month with their clients, focusing on topics including mental and physical health, financial support, accessing NDIS services, and elite performance leadership. The program is currently being delivered to mentees across Australia, using 12 female Paralympic alumni across seven sports, to help mentor the budding sports stars, including local para-athlete Rae Anderson who represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

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