Celebrating the inclusive sport and recreation sector across Victoria

The Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards (VDSR Awards) are a celebration of the achievements of sportspeople with disability, the coaches, organisations, officials and volunteers who support them and the inclusive sport and recreation sector across Victoria.

Last night, Thursday 3 December the VDSR Awards were live streamed due to COVID-19 and the Victorian disability sporting community celebrated the achievements of our home grown sporting heroes and legends and all those who work hard behind the scenes to help them get there.

Hosted by Disability Sport & Recreation, the VDSR Awards are an opportunity to discover unsung heroes and rising stars and celebrate what’s truly great about accessible and inclusive sport.

“Last night’s event was a fantastic way to reflect on the incredible talent, initiatives and individuals that contribute to the Victorian sport and recreation sector and celebrate International Day of People with Disability,’ said Disability Sport & Recreation CEO, Richard Amon.

“After postponing the awards from early in 2020, we wanted to end what has been a difficult year on a note of positivity and give everyone a sense of hope and community spirit as we look towards a new year of opportunities in 2021.’

“We are following up last night’s excitement with a new virtual version of our Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Festival next week, which will feature videos from exhibitors, interactive activity sessions and time to ask questions, all from your smartphone or computer.’

“Running from Friday 11 – Saturday 12 December, the festival gives people the chance to learn about the different inclusive and disability sport and recreation programs and services across Victoria and how to get involved with them in the new year.  With access now easier from all over Victoria, it may even be better than being there in person.’

“Who knows – the step you take towards engaging with sport and recreation at our festival could lead you to be a finalist in our future awards!”

Entrants in the Awards are nominated by state sporting associations, regional sport assemblies, local government, teammates, club members, coaches or their local community in recognition of their outstanding contribution to inclusive sport and recreation.

The outstanding nominations received always makes selecting the finalists a difficult decision, with these Awards being no different, particularly as the number of nominations this year increased by 33%. Disability Sport & Recreation invited 13 highly qualified judges from the sector and charged them with assessing the winners across the 11 award categories.

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Winners of the 2020 Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards are:

Lifetime Achievement
Timothy Chiu – DSR Kids recreational camps

Female Sportsperson of the Year
Phoebe Mitchell – swimming

My Sport Live Male Sportsperson of the Year
Clint Pickin – para triathlon

Marg Angel Junior Sportsperson of the Year
Georgia Powning – athletics

Masters Sportsperson of the Year
Duke Trench-Thiedman – para badminton

Carbine Club Team of the Year
Geelong Swimming Club

Coach of the Year
Sadat-Jon Hussain – swimming

Official of the Year
Tony Warland – tennis

PwC Volunteer of the Year
Caytlyn Sharp – athletics

Initiative of the Year
Access Key Project (Access Ability Australia)

Inclusive Sport, Recreation or Open Space Infrastructure
Casey Stadium (City of Casey and YMCA Victoria)

The 2020 VDSR Awards acknowledge and celebrate achievements, initiatives, programs, activities and developments that took place between January 2019 and December 2019.

More information is available on the Disability Sport & Recreation website: www.dsr.org.au/awards/

This event is supported by the Victorian Government, My Sport Live, the Carbine Club,  Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and Box Hill Institute.

About Disability Sport & Recreation

We are a for-purpose organisation with a proud history of over 58 years of supporting Victorians with disability to get physically active. Our mission is to provide and promote positive health outcomes for people with disability through meaningful engagement in sport and active recreation. Our vision is a Victoria where all people with disability can choose and access any sport or active recreation they want to engage with.

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