6th September 2009,

Aussies march onto Deaflympic stage

The Australian Deaflympic Games Team proudly marched into Taipei Stadium last night for the Opening Ceremony of the 2009 Taipei Deaflympic Games.

 

The Australian team entered the Taipei Stadium in front of a sell out crowd of over 20,000 people as the Games were officially opened by Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou following a spectacular opening ceremony.

 

The 2009 Taipei Deaflympic Games will attract over 4,000 athletes from 81 countries with Australia sending a team of 47 to Taipei across athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, cycling, orienteering, judo, swimming, table tennis and tennis. Melbourne hosted the last Deaflympics in 2005.  

 

Taking the deaf and hearing-impaired athletes and audience into account the ceremony centred on stunning visual effects and movement with the highlight being famous Taiwanese model Patina Lin flying across a 50-meter projection screen to create the illusion of a goddess walking through air and water. 

 

Australian Flag bearer Amy-Lea Mills summed up the excitement of the Australian Team “It is such a thrill to march tonight and receive such a warm reception from the Taipei locals, I will remember this night for the rest of my life, myself and the rest of the team now can’t wait for the competition to start”.   

 

Amy-Lee Mills has a decorated history as a Deaflympian winning Gold in the javelin at the Melbourne 2005 Deaflympic Games and is in top form leading up to Taipei, setting season best results in training in recent weeks.

It was also announced prior to the Opening Ceremony that Nicola Taschke will be the Australian Team Captain for the Deaflympic Games. Nicola is a member of the Australian Women’s Basketball team and will be competing in her second Deaflympic Games after debuting in Melbourne.

David Peters, Australian Deaflympic Team Chef de Mission, was awarded the ICSD Medal of Honour at the ICSD Congress, he was also one of six torch bearers where he brought the torch into the stadium, and passed on the torch to the 2008 Deaf Sportswoman of the Year, Trude Raad from Norway.  This was an enormous honour that ICSD has bestowed upon David Peters in recognition of his thirty plus years of service to national and international deaf sport.

 

The Deaflympic Games will run from 5-15 September and today in day 1 of competition Australia will be in action in Cycling & Tennis.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

To obtain further information or arrange interviews with the Australian Team please contact DSA Manager Craig Dodson, Phone: 03 9473-1191, 0438067425 or email craig.dodson@deafsports.org.au

 

Photo source: Scott Chesterton

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