Paralympic Flag Bearers Reveal How Para Sport Changed Their Lives

At the age of 15, Georgia Gunew’s diminishing eyesight spelt an end to her time playing field hockey. She felt scared, alone and worried about her future. 

Eight years later, at a surprise announcement at the foot of the spectacular Dolomites mountain range in northeastern Italy, the Brisbane-based Para alpine skier was bestowed one of the most prestigious honours in Australian sport – carrying the Australian flag at the Opening Ceremony of the Milano Cortina Paralympic Games. 

Gunew, on her Paralympic Winter Games debut, will share the role of Opening Ceremony flag bearer with Para snowboard star Ben Tudhope, the Beijing 2022 bronze medallist who will compete at his fourth Paralympic Games.  

The duo was informed of the decision by Chef de Mission Ben Troy, who said the pair represented emerging talent and the experience that underpins the 2026 Australian Paralympic Team. 

“If you’d asked 15-year-old Georgia if this was possible … I mean, this wasn’t even a thought, not even a possibility,” Gunew said minutes afterwards. “So, if you told her this, she wouldn’t have believed you.  

“Being here, in this position, it is just such an honour. There isn’t another word for it. I really can’t believe I’m here and I’m just … my thoughts aren’t super straight right now because it’s just so exciting.”  

Gunew wanted her sport to be hockey, but getting involved in Para sport when her vision regressed has put her on the path to travelling the world and competing at the top level of Para alpine skiing.  

“Para sport has absolutely changed my life,” she said.  

“When I learnt that I was going to lose my vision, it was such a scary time. It was something I didn’t really know how to process. I was young, just 15, and I was pretty scared.  

“So, moving into Para sport and finding other people with similar situations to me and other people with disability – learning how to navigate the world in a new way – that community got me through and has made my life so much easier and more, I guess, meaningful today than I ever thought it could be.” 

Tudhope felt similarly.  

“Throughout my life, when I was little, I did have a lot of challenges,” Tudhope said.  

“My parents introduced me to skiing and snowboarding. They weren’t expecting anything much for me, but they just thought it was a good family activity for me and my sisters to enjoy together.  

“Growing up, I never knew what the Paralympics were. But I did love snowboarding and enjoyed the culture around it. I improved my skills over time because I loved it.  

“Eventually I was introduced to the Paralympic world and it just opened up my eyes to this whole different world of disability, but also elite sport. It showed me that anyone can do it and it doesn’t matter, your background, the challenges you have. If you train hard enough you can do anything.” 

Tudhope recently became the first Australian winter sportsperson from any Olympic or Paralympic discipline to win 50 World Cup event medals. His bronze medal in the snowboard cross SB-LL2 classification at Beijing 2022 Paralympics was Australia’s only medal of the Games. 

“Something that I love about the Paralympics, and being here, is that your disability is the last thing that matters,” Tudhope said.   

“You walk around the Village, you walk around the venues, and no one cares if you have one leg or if you’re blind or anything like that. We are elite sportspeople and we just want to do the best we can in our sport.” 

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will be held from March 6 to 15. Australia will be represented by 12 athletes and two guides across four sports. 

David Sygall, Paralympics Australia