Lions Support
The Countdown is on for Beijing
Australian Paralympic Teams have amassed a spectacular 891 medals since the first Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960. In Beijing, Australia hopes to finish top 5 in the medal tally and is aiming for its 1000th Paralympic medal.
The ranks of the 2008 Australian Paralympic Team will be filled with unbelievable champions like cyclist Lindy Hou. Lindy has been legally blind since 1996 due to a degenerative eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa.
In 1999, Lindy discovered the joy of cycling on a tandem bike and now trains and competes to be best in the world. Lindy and her sighted pilot riders have won four Paralympic medals for Australia and were the first Australian female athletes to win gold in Athens in 2004. They currently hold two women's tandem cycling world records. In spite of her impressive record, what matters most now to Lindy is representing Australia in Beijing.
"Australia is the land opportunity and regardless of our backgrounds, we can all aim to represent this country and be the best in the world. To be able to wear the Australian uniform and stand on the podium in Beijing, the land of my ancestors, is the essence of what being an Aussie is all about for me," says Lindy.
But it is not just Australia's Paralympic cyclists who are world class. Athletes in all of Australia's Paralympic sports are just as impressive, and with the continued support of Lions Club members, they will all realise their dreams of representing Australia against the best in the world of Paralympic sport. It costs almost $10,000 to send each Paralympic athlete and their equipment to the Games and with your financial support, our athletes will be able to take on the world in Beijing.
Click on the Photos for a larger image