Submitted through Sport and Recreation Victoria’ s Regional All Abilities Participation Grants, the project will deliver coordinated talent identification, community engagement, coach and volunteer education, and athlete pathway support through Barwon Sports Academy, WestVic Academy of Sport and Southwest Academy of Sport. The aim is to lift Para literacy across regional Victoria and ensure no athlete is missed because of where they live. Pathway in action: McGough to Glasgow 2026.
The most powerful proof point arrived in recent weeks. Fifteen-year-old sprinter Tom McGough, identified through the inaugural eight-week Under-18 Stream 1 talent ID program, has been selected on the Australian Commonwealth Games team to contest the T38 100m at Glasgow 2026.
Looking ahead
With three streams now operational, regional expansion in motion and the first major selection result in the book, the VIS Para Sport Unit is building momentum toward LA 2028 and, ultimately, a strong Victorian contribution to Australia’ s Brisbane 2032 team. The next 12 months will see continued growth in athlete numbers, additional coaching appointments, and deeper integration with national sporting organisations across the Win Well system. A national effort with a clear north star of the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics in sight.
He is coached by VIS Para Athletics Coach Anula Costa, a Level 4 High Performance Athletics coach with more than 30 years of experience developing Para and able-bodied athletes, including her first Paralympian, Kelly Cartwright. Costa was recently named the 2025 recipient of the Peter Norman Humanitarian Award for her work championing inclusion through sport.
McGough’ s progression from a Para Unit talent ID program to Commonwealth Games selection inside a single cycle illustrates exactly what the unit was designed to deliver: identify, fast-track and connect.