The Age sports journalist Stathi Paxinos has been nominated as one of four finalists for ‘best promotion of sport for people with disability’, to be presented next month.

The award forms part of the 2014 ASC (Australian Sports Commission) Media Awards, recognising a ‘lifetime achievement’ for service ‘to sports journalism over an extended period of time’.

Having covered mainstream sports for over a decade, Paxinos told Neos Kosmos that he first covered para-sports at the 2012 London Paralympics, and has continued to give life to an otherwise neglected perspective of athletic achievement.

“It came down to an opportunity to cover the London Paralympics. When I was there it struck me how interesting the stories of these athletes were and how willing they were to talk about themselves and their experiences. I found that such a big change to my usual rounds of professional sports, like rugby league or rugby union where everything is so media controlled and structured.”

He said for a long time para-sports have been about the “human interest or news story” and never about sport, but that sentiment is changing.
“What they (para-athletes) try to push nowadays is that they are athletes themselves and that their athletic performances should stand by their own right. They’re trying to really generate more interest in the sporting situations rather than just human interest.”

But he said that sentiment still serves a purpose for up-and-comers.

“The stories behind them are really quite inspiring to a lot of people. Some of these athletes, have often been bullied through high school or their younger years and if young children with disabilities have someone to look up to, who they can relate to, who may have gone through something similar, it gives them something to aspire to.”

Paxinos said London 2012 propelled para-sports coverage, and whilst there’s still a long way to go before it becomes more mainstream, he sees a growing embrace which will excel within the next 10 or 15 years.

He said the nomination “is really pleasing because it’s good to see that para-sports is being acknowledged in major awards now”, and that fascination with the athletes will continue to grow. It is now a matter of sport subscribers moving beyond their “tunnel vision” and appreciating the achievements of these athletes as exactly that – athletes.

The ASC awards will be held on November 19.