By Mikayla van Loon
Chirnside Park resident and ParaVolley player Nick Coburn has been spearheading a campaign and fundraiser to get his sport to the Paralympics and Commonwealth Games in a few years time.
Having put in a pitch to attend both the 2028 Paralympics and the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Australian Beach ParaVolley team is patiently waiting for responses.
“We’re nervous because we’re investing all this money and time and effort to build our sport up and we’re really hoping it gets in,” Coburn said.
“It’s going to be a bit devastating if we don’t but it won’t be the end of us because the world of ParaVolley still wants the sport to grow. If it’s not the Paralympics in 2028 then we’ll try for Brisbane in 2032.”
The 39-year-old first represented Australia in the indoor standing paravolley when he was just 17 at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.
Since then, standing ParaVolley, both indoor and beach, has ebbed and flowed in participation levels but sitting ParaVolley has always had a strong interest across the globe.
The last chance three Australian Beach ParaVolley team representatives competed was in China in 2019, where nine men’s teams fought for the title but just two women’s teams participated.
“Our problem has been getting women involved. We’re struggling but we’ve at least got a team. America has got a really good team, at least one if not two.
“I think some South American nations do but that’s about it. So they won’t let our sport in [to the Paralympics] without a female competition.”
The Australian team currently have 12 women and 16 men playing and training around the country but Coburn is hoping that can expand in the lead up to both Games.
Not only does interest in the sport need to grow around Australia but internationally as well, with Coburn saying “since 2019, when we last played, there’s probably an extra five or six nations in Europe and probably an extra six or seven in South America” participating.
Coburn said China and Iran have always been strong leaders in sitting ParaVolley, with China interested in joining the standing competition but his aim is to gain interest more broadly across Asia and Oceania nations.
“It’s a bit of a catch 22 at the moment because if we get into both of those games, more nations will play but to get into those games, we need more nations to play.”
Now that World ParaVolley has applied to the Los Angeles Paralympics committee, as well as the Victorian Commonwealth Games committee, it’s just a waiting game.
“So we’ll find out from the Commonwealth Games late this year and by January next we should find out about the Paralympics.”
Coburn said LA is the perfect location to show off ParaVolley, that is why the American team has also been pushing quite hard for the sport to be included.
With no adjustments needing to be made to the standard beach court for ParaVolley, Coburn said it is also a relatively cost effective sport to have at the Paralympics.
While waiting for the outcome, the Australian ParaVolley team has established a GoFundMe to raise $10,000 for the team to hold practice camps, trainings, attend tournaments and purchase uniforms, all to prepare them for 2026 and 2028.
The team’s third camp for the year will be held in Canberra in just a few weeks time, where players from India will be making the trip over to partake in a mini-competition and demonstration in the Australian Beach ParaVolley National Series.
Aside from donations, Coburn said local communities can help by spreading the word to build the profile of ParaVolley and hopefully attract some younger players to the sport.
“The more people who see us, the more players we will get, the more recognition we will get, and then maybe the more funding as well.”
To donate to the GoFundMe, head to www.gofund.me/a67154ab or to contact the team, email ausbeach.paravolley@gmail.com
Follow the team’s journey on social media @ausbeach.paravolley.
