Louise Sauvage named Disability Sports Australia Ambassador

Australian Paralympic legend Louise Sauvage has been appointed as an ambassador of Disability Sports Australia (DSA).

Her new role will aim to raise awareness of and promote the various activity engagement strategy for DSA, this includes Variety Activate Inclusion Sports Days and NDSP Plan Managers National Referral Hub to launch in October 2021.

One of her first acts as an ambassador will be to appear on the DSA’s brand-new “Breaking Disability” podcast, with Sauvage a guest on its debut 2-part recording release on August 20 one week before the Tokyo Paralympics.

The podcast will be hosted by Murray Elbourn, Chief Executive Officer of DSA.

This will see Sauvage discuss her outstanding career, as well as disability more broadly, focusing on the challenges people face and topics such as employment, social life, relationships and mentoring.

Sauvage lit the cauldron at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics and was Australia's flagbearer at the Paralympics Opening Ceremony at Athens 2004. Sauvage won nine golds and four silvers at the Paralympics from Barcelona 1992 to Athens 2004, including gold medals in every wheelchair athletics track distance between 100 metres and 5000m.

This was accompanied by 12 gold medals and two silvers at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championships, and four victories at the Boston Marathon.

After retiring from competition, Sauvage began coaching for wheelchair athletes including Madison De Razario who will compete for gold in Tokyo.

DSA Chief Executive Officer Murray Elbourn said “It is such a pleasure to have Louise as our new ambassador, her passion for this space will only help our organisation bring awareness to opportunities for more Australians with disability to become more active, more often”.

Media Contact: Murray Elbourn – murray@sports.org.au - 0427186734