Response to the ASC From: Janath kasthuriarachchi [samirakasth@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, 9 July 2014 10:04 PM To: Mailbox-Complaints; Paul Brown Subject: RE: 1446: Pararoos funding complaint Dear David Simpson Thank you for your prompt reply. However I believe that the are some inconsistencies in the 'Winning Edge' policy. I understand that the government wants to maximize its investments. Yet it does not seem to make sense why they then would fund sports such as Soccer, Cricket, AFL, Rugby League, and Rugby Union. These sports are all backed by millionaire, and in some cases billion dollar boards, and only one of them (Soccer) is an Olympic sport. AFL is worth millions in this country, with a TV deal just below a billion dollars. What impact would an investment of $2 million dollars have in this sport? Little if any. And cricket and football are no different. It is interesting to me that the this committee determined that the Paralympic team has little chance of becoming (as the Winning Edge Policy put is) little chance of Olympic success, yet to continue to fund their able bodied counterparts $2.8 million. However, not only has the Australian team (the Socceroos) not one a game in more than 12 months the Olympic team (not only having never won a medal in the Olympic Games previously) but in fact failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games. I would love to know how they still justify receiving $2 million dollars of limited government funding, but the Pararoos do not. To qualify to the recent World Cup, the Soccoroos had to beat teams that were ranked well below them. For the Pararoos to qualify, they need to beat teams seeded well above them. There is no doubt that by cutting funding, the ASC is putting the pararoos in a viscous cycle - with no funding, they have little chance of firstly participating in the world cup, and almost no chance of qualifying to Rio. By not qualifying for Rio, they will have limited chance of justifying funding in the next year. They have been set up for failure by the ASC. Other teams receive millions of dollars of funding (England receive 6 million dollars a year). It seems beyond unjust to ask these guys to compete against teams backed by millions, when they themselves receive none by their own government. I'd also like to look at the increased funding in swimming. There is no doubt, that swimming in this country is on the decline, since the goldern era of the 2000 Olympic Games. Yet somehow they get an increase in funding. An increase in funding that is more than what the Pararoos ever received. I am not for an instant suggesting that these other sports don't deserve funding. What I am suggesting is, that Paralympic Football be given the same respect that the other sports receive. I myself, am not a player. I am a 4th year physiotherapy student. I volunteer my time, to work with the NSW Paralympic football team. And it is through volunteers that this sport has been surviving. Regards Janath