Government congratulates NZ Paralympic Team

The Government has congratulated the New Zealand Paralympic Team following their most successful Paralympic Winter Games for New Zealand in twenty years.

“Aotearoa New Zealand can very proud of our Paralympic Team’s Beijing 2022 campaign,” Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson and Disability Issues Minister Carmel Sepuloni said.

“Adam Hall, Corey Peters and Aaron Ewen displayed incredible talent, athleticism and tenacity, winning a total of four medals at one of the biggest Paralympic Winter Games to date,” Grant Robertson said.

“All three athletes can be very proud of their Paralympics campaign, which saw Corey Peters win gold in the Men’s Downhill Sitting and a silver in the Men’s Super-G Sitting, and Adam Hall win two bronze medals in the Men's Standing Slalom and in the Men’s Super Combined event.

“New Zealand’s newest Paralympian Aaron Ewen finished 9th in the Men’s Slalom – a brilliant achievement in his first Paralympics.

“Corey Peters’ gold, in particular, was a remarkable achievement, given he hadn't competed in a Downhill event for two years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Qualifying for the Winter Paralympics is an enormous achievement, and it’s made New Zealanders so proud to see the skill, determination and hard work of our Paralympians come to fruition in Beijing,” Grant Robertson said.

“We have a great tradition of achievement in the Paralympics, which also serves as a platform to challenge misconceptions about disabled people. These athletes have shown us that achievement can be limitless,” Carmel Sepuloni said.

“It’s also been fantastic to see the legacy these Winter Games have left behind with more than 289,000 facilities being renovated in Beijing to ensure they are accessible.

“This was the first time New Zealanders were able to watch every Paralympic event with TVNZ providing extensive coverage of the Paralympic. Audiences for the Paralympic Winter Games continue to grow, and seeing the incredible performances across the full range of Paralympic winter sports has no doubt inspired disabled people and New Zealanders in general,” Carmel Sepuloni said.