Monitor Deloitte helps devise long-term Paralympics strategy plan
As the Brisbane Olympics come into view, Paralympics Australia has outlined its goal to become a sporting powerhouse while fostering societal change – with Monitor Deloitte helping to develop the blueprint.
Paralympics Australia has released a new long-term strategic plan in the run-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, developed with support from the team at Monitor Deloitte – the strategy consultancy wing of Deloitte.
The strategy plan, dubbed ‘Imagine’, outlines an ambitious goal of catapulting the Australian Paralympic team back to the top of the medal table while creating a world-leading equitable sport system and fostering greater social inclusivity.
“We are confident we will achieve these goals because this is much more than just a strategy about sport,” said Paralympics Australia president Jock O’Callaghan.
“This is a blueprint for harnessing the power of the Paralympic movement to make Australia a better place. It explains how in the years leading up to Brisbane 2032 we will unleash the full potential of Paralympic athletes and Paralympics Australia to deliver benefits that no other sporting environment or organisation can.”
According to Paralympics Australia, only one in four of the more than 4 million Australians with a disability participate in sports, while the remaining three quarters are said to want to. Meanwhile, recent performance pathways funding for Paralympic sports compared to Olympic ones was less than 10 percent, while high performance funding was little better.
The Paralympics Australia strategy plan aims to leverage the Brisbane Games to increase visibility, revenue and performance in a transformative virtuous cycle.
“The Paralympic movement holds an exclusive place in Australian sport,” says Paralympics Australia chief executive Catherine Clark. “We don’t have weekly ticketing income, rivers of merchandising gold or billion-dollar broadcast deals – yet. Instead, we are a deep emotional connection that exists nowhere else on the sporting landscape. We’re a representation of what Australia aspires to be, a nation where people work hard, overcome adversity and make the most of their lives.”
Devising the plan
Clark also gave an insight into the formulation of the strategy plan, a process which began last April and was built around five pillars and their associated priorities, initiatives and measures; sustainability, ecosystem, athletes, fans and social impact. The initial step was to establish nine ‘agile’ cross-functional teams tasked with diving into a different area, before those teams were then assigned an external partner to advise and collaborate until the final package came together.
“Congratulations to the entire Paralympics Australia team on reaching this important milestone, with a plan that leads through remarkable Paralympic performance to create a societal shift towards inclusion and equality,” commented Angus Morton, Deloitte’s lead client service director for the Brisbane 2032 Games, who further acknowledged a team including Monitor Deloitte partner Yann Pastor and colleagues Lisa Walton, Marcin Malek, Bennett Griffin and Ellie Chicchio.
Deloitte has a close association with the Olympic movement, both at the local and international levels. Last year, the firm became a tier one global Olympics sponsor and strategy and digital consulting partner of the IOC, while former Deloitte Australia and APAC boss Cindy Hook was recently selected to lead the build-up to Brisbane, after a preliminary report from KPMG initially helped the city to secure the Games with the suggestion of a $17 billion economic windfall.
