In just eight years' time, Brisbane 2032 will welcome athletes from across the world to celebrate the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games.
It will be the second time the Paralympic Games have been held in Australia, following Sydney 2000.
Young athletes across the country already have their eyes on Brisbane 2032 and have dreams of competing in a Paralympic Games on home turf. Among those athletes looking to represent Australia by pulling on the green and gold is swimmer Victoria (Vicki) Belando Nicholson.
"I’d say 2028 is my closest goal then Brisbane 2032. [Brisbane 2032] will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience," she said.
"It’s exciting because I’ll have my family and my friends there watching me. And I think that would push me even more, with the excitement of everyone watching. I just think it would be a good experience."
Vicki's story is one of remarkable survival.
When she was six months old, Vicki and her older sister Destiny, who was 18 months old, were rescued by the Maltese army after a refugee boat they were on capsized in 2008, drowning their mum. Vicki was pulled lifeless from the water before she was resuscitated by an army medic.
Vicki and her sister were placed in an orphanage, stateless, with no records or family to show where they were from.
Meanwhile, Brisbane man Ewan and his wife Susanna were living in Malta at the time and decided to go through the adoption process. They got a call one day about two little girls at the orphanage.
The family of four then moved to Spain, where they lived for eight years before making the decision to come out to Australia, settling in Brisbane in 2022.
Having grown up playing water polo, the 16-year-old is no stranger to the water. After moving to Australia, she continued playing water polo, even playing at State Titles and Australian Youth Championships. However, it was while playing water polo at Yeronga Park for the Mermaids that her then coach suggested she give swimming a go.
“I played water polo for a while, so when we first came here (to Australia)...my water polo coach Toby approached me to try swimming for further fitness," Victoria recalled. "I tried it for a few months, then at my first meet I realised I might be able to go somewhere with this.”
Vicki, who was born without a fibula - known as Fibular Hemimelia - making left leg is 14cm shorter than her right leg, has already made tremendous strides in the swimming scene, becoming the only multi-class athlete to break an Australian record at the 2023 Australian Age Championships.
Not only that, the young gun also recently competed at the European Championships in April, coming away with two bronze medals in the S9 100m freestyle and 34pt 4x100m freestyle relay.
Her coach Toby Fitzgerald said the strides she's made in swimming are incredible.
"For her to come from, where she's come from in such a short time is really unheard of," he said.
"When she first came, we saw the opportunities that para swimming could offer her, and we had long discussions about it. Water polo was her life, especially over in Spain, so she was a bit unsure of the transition. It's been a whirlwind over the last 12-18 months."
While Vicki qualified for the Paris 2024 Trials in May, she missed out on making the Australian Paralympic Swimming Team by just 955 milliseconds in the S9 100m Freestyle.
"To get as close as what she did is incredible, and to be able to help her with that, the whole journey, has been really rewarding," Toby said. "To see her sort of grow and develop has been fantastic."
Her dad says there has been a lot of highs and lows for his daughter since starting swimming.
"She got very close to being in Paris, but she didn't quite make it. But she got to Portugal [European Championships] and Canada [Ken Demchuk Invitational], so she's had a great run, and it was all pretty unexpected," he said.
"It feels like a long way away (Brisbane 2032), so we will take it one step at a time, but I think it will be exciting, not just for it to be in Australia but for it to be in Brisbane."
Yeronga Park Swimming Club is the home to three Paralympic swimmers, including three-time gold medallist Rowan Crothers, three-time bronze medallist Katja Dedekind, and Poppy Wilson, who will be making her debut in Paris.
They will be part of Australia's 30-member Swimming squad heading to Paris 2024.
The trio have been instrumental at the local Brisbane swimming club, inspiring the next generation of young guns coming through.
"They give back 10 times what we can give them. Katja has the Kit Kat clinic that she does in the morning, where she’ll spend 30 minutes with some of our swimmers, one on one, which has been phenomenal,” coach Toby said. “Rowan loves working with the boys and will spend time teaching them how to sprint and fixing their technique.
"The way they give back, in that sense, they’re true leaders of the club and leaders of para swimming,” he concluded.
Paris 2024 will be a historic Games, as it will be the first time Paris has ever held a Paralympic Games despite previously hosting three Olympic Games—in 1900, 1924, and 2024.
Australia's Paralympic team will be co-captained by Angela Ballard, an eight-time medallist in para athletics and Curtis McGrath, a three-time gold medal winner in para canoe. The team will have athletes competing in 17 of the 22 sports in Paris.
Brisbane 2032 President, Andrew Liveris wished Team Australia all the best for the upcoming Games.
"I look forward to cheering on our 160 Australian Paralympians competing in Paris, and in the years ahead, supporting the next generation of aspiring Paralympians in the lead up to our Games in 2032," Liveris said.
“I encourage Australians to either visit a Paralympics LIVE site at locations across the country, or tune in wherever you can to watch our athletes go for gold.
"I have no doubt Paris will put on a spectacular backdrop hosting the Paralympics, with plenty of Aussie goosebump moments to come, inspiring all of us as we prepare for a home Games in eight years’ time.”
The 9 Network will offer live and free coverage across Channel 9 and 9Gem, along with more than 20 live streams on 9Now. Stan Sport will also screen the Paralympic Games.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will begin with the Opening Ceremony on 28 August (29 August AEST) before concluding on 8 September (9 September AEST) with the Closing Ceremony.
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