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Speaker 1: Well. The first ever Mini Paralympics was held in Darwin

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Speaker 1: at the Territory Netball Stadium yesterday, bringing together families, schools,

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Speaker 1: local clubs for a fun day of sport and activities.

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Speaker 1: The event was a chance for Territory kids to learn

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Speaker 1: more about Paralympics sports well in a supportive and inclusive environment.

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Speaker 1: And joining us on the line from the Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: Sports Academy Para Pathways Manager Jody Zannini, Good morning to you, Jody,

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Speaker 1: Good morning, lovely to have you on the show. Jody.

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Speaker 1: How did it all go yesterday? How many kids took part?

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Speaker 2: It was a really great day. We had just over

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Speaker 2: ninety three children registered to attend and I think from

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Speaker 2: all accounts everyone had a great time. It was awesome

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Speaker 2: to be able to showcase what parasport could be and

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Speaker 2: what a pathway could be for children living in the.

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Speaker 1: NT How awesome. What kind of sports and activities did

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Speaker 1: they get to have a crack at?

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Speaker 2: So we actually were lucky. We had Botcher Australia come

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Speaker 2: and represent and they run They ran a few different

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Speaker 2: things in that we also had seated volleyball, we had badminton, athletics,

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Speaker 2: wheelchair basketball, and we also used a walking netball while

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Speaker 2: we were there as well, which is not a Paralympic

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Speaker 2: sport but an adaptive sport and a sport that they

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Speaker 2: could come and try.

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Speaker 1: Oh and good fun, right Like that's one of the

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Speaker 1: wonderful things about all those sports.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, it was a great mix of sports and great

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Speaker 2: for anyone with any disability to attend. So I think

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Speaker 2: the main thing was it was all inclusive. Any level

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Speaker 2: could come and give it a go, and there was

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Speaker 2: definitely something for everyone.

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Speaker 1: Were most of the participants from Darwin or did you have

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Speaker 1: people from other locations around the place some of the

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Speaker 1: more remote areas as well, all from Darwin?

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Speaker 2: For this one, we had a representation from five different schools,

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Speaker 2: but we did hold a Alice Mini Paralympics just a

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Speaker 2: few weeks ago as well. So trying to get out

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Speaker 2: and about and get it all around the territory.

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Speaker 1: Is it like this? I mean, I know you said

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Speaker 1: there was one in Allison obviously, the one here yesterday.

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Speaker 1: It was an inaugural event though, wasn't it. So is

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Speaker 1: it all sort of about sort of highlighting those different pathways?

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Speaker 1: Do you reckon it'll happen again?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? I think so. I think that we will definitely

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Speaker 2: hold another one next year. But I think the main

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Speaker 2: thing is that it's not a one off event, and

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Speaker 2: we're trying to showcase that this is a pathway and

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Speaker 2: we actually have sports and we have opportunities for people

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Speaker 2: in the NT living with disability to join sports and

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Speaker 2: to progress on a Paralympic pathway. And I guess for

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Speaker 2: people living in the NT, they may think that that's

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Speaker 2: no an option because we're so far removed, but it

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Speaker 2: actually is now, especially with a power unit uplift funding

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Speaker 2: through the Australian Sports Commission and Paralympics Australia.

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Speaker 1: And you guys do quite a bit really, don't you

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Speaker 1: with some of our para athletes here in the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory through the Sports Academy. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Well, ironically in the NT we have the most categorized

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Speaker 2: Paralympic athletes out of any state or territory in terms

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Speaker 2: of reference to able bodied athletes and parently. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 2: so we're leading the way in that space, and I

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Speaker 2: think that that just shows that there's athletes definitely living

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Speaker 2: here in the NT, and a lot of them, you know,

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Speaker 2: they're on scholarship with us. We've supported them for quite

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Speaker 2: a while. Tom O'Neil thorne was born and bred here

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Speaker 2: has has been supported through the NT Sports Academy through

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Speaker 2: his whole career as in wheelchair basketball.

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Speaker 1: How good? And in terms of I mean having a

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Speaker 1: day like you had yesterday where you're sort of getting

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Speaker 1: different kids there, you know, and they're trying different sports,

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Speaker 1: I would imagine we've probably got some hidden talents out

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Speaker 1: there with some of our para athletes that you guys

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Speaker 1: haven't even had the opportunity to see up until yesterday.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely absolutely, And that's what yesterday was all about. It's

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Speaker 2: all about just knowledge and experience, and you know, the

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Speaker 2: teachers kind of finding out what parasport is as well,

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Speaker 2: because they'll be our talent. ID they're the ones that

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Speaker 2: are going to find the kids floating around in school

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Speaker 2: that they may not even know that they had a disability.

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Speaker 2: And then and then you know, once they do, they're like, oh,

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Speaker 2: well they actually there's a pathway for you and there's

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Speaker 2: report you could join into.

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Speaker 1: How good? I reckon It's wonderful, wonderful, And you know,

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Speaker 1: I love seeing people play sport and having opportunities for

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Speaker 1: people and it just makes such a difference to you know,

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Speaker 1: to anybody's life.

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Speaker 2: Really, That's exactly right. And I think the main thing

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Speaker 2: is it's not just about a Paralympic pathway, it's just

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Speaker 2: about getting people involved in sports and being able to

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Speaker 2: be adaptive and inclusive in all sport is really important

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Speaker 2: and the NT does it really well in a lot

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Speaker 2: of the sports that we have up here anyway. So

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Speaker 2: with that added extra support of a pathway, you know

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Speaker 2: we will uneest some talent for twenty thirty two.

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Speaker 1: I think, yeah, I reckon You're right well. Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: Sports Academy Power Pathways Manager Jodie Zannini, lovely to talk

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Speaker 1: to you this morning. Thanks so much for having a

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Speaker 1: chat with.

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Speaker 2: Us, Thanks for having me.

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Speaker 1: Thank you,