Alastair Smales (born 8 May 1962 in Australia), lost the use of his legs in 1992 becoming a paraplegic after a four-wheel drive he was fixing slipped off a jack and fell on him.

He was a member of the Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association and trained at the Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton Club.

Despite Smales’ age he was able to make an impact on Paralympic swimming and hopefully influencing other aspiring athletes.

[2] Smales ended up retiring from swimming after eight years due to his inability to handle travelling overseas.

Smales was a role model to the rest of the swimming team and helped the younger swimmers deal with the excitement and stress of their first games.

Spinal cord damage is the most common cause of paraplegia and has no cure, but the individual may recover partial muscle control.

Therefore, when the brain or spinal cord loses its ability to work properly these signals weaken and become non-existent.

This grade includes “swimmers with short stature or amputation of both arms, or moderate co-ordination problems on one side of their body” (“World Para Swimming Classification & Categories - SB9, SM8,” 2020).

[8] This ensures that all swimmers are equal when racing and that winning is determined by sporting factors such as “skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus” (World Para Swimming Classification & Categories - SB9, SM8, 2020).

Each swimmer's training load is there to ensure athletes develop short- and long-term adaptive responses which lead to performance improvement.

The organisers also introduced a $15 day pass to attract big crowds to the Paralympic events which resulted in 1.16 million spectators.

To increase awareness and support for the games SPOC also implemented a Paralympic national education program and delivered it to schools around Australia.

After Alastair Smales’ retired from swimming he went and pursued a career in air traffic control.

(Air Traffic Controller, 2019) [18] This diploma enables individuals to get roles in flight crew or emergency commercial pilot duties.

Their duties include “technical and non-technical aviation skills and knowledge to a wide range of air transport operations, including passenger, charter and cargo operations” (“Diploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot Licence - Aeroplane),” 2022).

[19][20] This qualification fulfils some of the requirements necessary for a certification as a commercial pilot by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

The training is about delivering members to the Air Force who have perfected basic military skills and knowledge.