Logan City Council has backed the dreams of five young athletes whose goal is to compete on the world stage.
Council yesterday awarded sporting grants to the athletes to help them with their future sporting aspirations.
The grants were awarded to Andre Rivett (shot put, discus and javelin thrower), Ehlana Wilkinson (netball), Liam Glarvas (futsal) and Lilly Laubscher and Matthew Gorry (both athletics).
Rivett, a former Logan Sports Awards winner, has been selected for the Australian team for the International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (INAS) Global Games.
The Games will be contested by more than 1000 athletes from 50 countries in Brisbane from October 12 to 19.
Sports at the Games include athletics, swimming, table tennis, rowing, basketball, futsal, taekwondo, tennis and cycling.
Some athletes will use the event to attempt to qualify for next year's 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
During the Games Wilkinson will play a demonstration game as part of the Marie Little Shield Queensland team.
Logan City Council Community Services Director Katie Barton-Harvey said Council was proud of the hard work and dedication shown by all five Logan athletes.
"We are pleased to be able to support them as they strive for excellence on the sporting field," Ms Barton-Harvey said.
"The INAS Global Games Next Gen Athlete funding program provides a fantastic opportunity for Council to continue to make sport and recreation more accessible for all Logan residents."
Council, with the support of the Brisbane Lions, allocated $5000 for both the 2018/19 and 2019/20 financial years to support the journey of local athletes to the games through the Active Logan - Active People Funding Program.
This financial support assisted with expenses such as coaching and specialist equipment and travel and accommodation costs for qualifying competitions.
"We are thrilled that Andre has been selected to be to compete at the Games and know he will do the city proud," Ms Barton-Harvey said.
Grants were provided to:
* Andre Rivett - Athletics
Andre, AKA "the HULK", said receiving a grant would help him to compete on an international level both at the Global Games and the 2020 Trisome21 Games in Turkey.
* Ehlana Wilkinson - Netball
Ehlana said she was really excited to be part of the Games' Marie Little Shield Queensland Team. "Receiving a grant is exciting and makes it feel like all my hard work pays off it as it supports me to get netball equipment and what I need to play my best," she said.
* Liam Glarvas - Futsal
Liam has represented Queensland at the national titles and his goal is to represent Australia. He said receiving a grant meant a lot and was such a big help to him. "It will support me to get to where I want to with my competitions," he said. "I enjoy training and being with my team and this will help support that."
* Lilly Laubscher - Athletics
Lilly is chasing her future goal of going to a Paralympics or Commonwealth Games. She said receiving a grant allowed her to strive to achieve the best level she could.
* Matthew Gorry – Athletics
Matthew was selected this year for the Australian para team at the Oceania Games, realising one of his dreams. He said receiving a grant had helped with uniform and coaching costs.
