Sport Inclusion Australia

What Sport Inclusion Australia does

Sport Inclusion Australia is a non-profit national sporting organization, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Benalla, Victoria. It facilitates, educates, and supports sporting organizations, government entities, and the broader community on delivering social inclusion through sport for people with an intellectual impairment (including intellectual disability and/or autism). Core service lines include Athlete Eligibility Services (the sole Australian processor of eligibility applications for athletes with intellectual impairment), a Capacity Building Program (training and workshops for sporting bodies), Sport Pathways Advisory (guidance to elite pathways from grassroots to high performance), the Included Through School Sport Program (inclusive festivals, championships, and teacher development in partnership with School Sport Australia), Sport Diplomacy Projects (international capacity building across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East), and a Partnerships Program. The organization is a founding member of Paralympics Australia and the Australian member of Virtus (formerly INAS), the International Sport Federation for athletes with intellectual impairment.

The underlying "technology" is primarily human service delivery — eligibility assessment workflows, training delivery, and event coordination — supported by a maintained website (sportinclusionaustralia.org.au) with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance, a MyCause donation portal, and an event-hosting capability (2019 INAS Global Games, 2022 Virtus Oceania Asia Games, 2025 Virtus World Athletics Championships, with 2027 Virtus Asia Oceania Games secured for Bangkok). Distribution is delivered through a national state and territory member network across all eight Australian jurisdictions plus international partners. Revenue mechanics consist of Australian Government funding via the Australian Sports Commission, state and local government event grants (Queensland Government, Brisbane City Council), donations via MyCause, and episodic corporate event sponsorships (e.g., Accor Hotels). Programs are delivered at no direct cost to athletes; services to sporting organizations and government are grant- and partnership-funded rather than fee-based.

Customer segments are three-fold: (1) athletes with intellectual impairment and their families/coaches as primary program beneficiaries; (2) schools and educators receiving inclusion training and championship access; and (3) sporting organizations and government bodies receiving capacity building, eligibility expertise, and policy support. Leadership transitioned in January 2026 with CEO Chantel Lewis succeeding prior management, alongside President Helen Croxford and an operating team of 1–10 staff. The organization has documented outcomes exceeding 8,000 athletes supported across four decades.

Name

Sport Inclusion Australia

Legal name

Sport Inclusion Australia

Website

https://sportinclusionaustralia.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Non-profit national sporting organization founded in 1986, delivering athlete eligibility processing, capacity building, and sport pathways for people with intellectual impairment across Australia and the Asia-Pacific.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability and Inclusive Sport Services

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (71132)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability & Adaptive Sport Governing Bodies (Paralympic & Sport-Specific) (MPAKAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH)

Keywords

• Inclusive sport programs
• Athlete eligibility assessment
• Disability sport pathways
• Capacity building workshops
• Intellectual impairment sport

Headquarters

HQ city

Benalla

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization accepts donations through MyCause platform to support athlete pathways, training programs, and competition opportunities.
2. Australian Government Funding: Sport Inclusion Australia receives investment and support from the Australian Government through the Australian Sports Commission to assist inclusion programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sport Inclusion Australia is the designated Australian national sporting organisation responsible for processing eligibility assessments for athletes with intellectual impairment seeking to compete in national and international events. The organisation delivers capacity building workshops and training to sporting bodies and government entities, advises on inclusive sport pathways from grassroots to elite competition, runs inclusive school sport programs, and executes international sport diplomacy projects in partnership with ASEAN and other regional forums. Services are provided at no direct cost to athletes and are funded via government grants, donations, and partnerships.

Product overview

Sport Inclusion Australia offers a portfolio of programs and services focused on enabling inclusion through sport for people with an intellectual impairment. The core offerings include Athlete Eligibility Services (processing eligibility applications for athletes to compete in intellectual impairment events), the Capacity Building Program (delivering training and workshops for organisations), Sport Pathways Advisory (guidance for sporting bodies), the Included Through School Sport Program (inclusive school sport initiatives), Sport Diplomacy Projects (international partnerships and capacity building), and a Partnerships Program. These services work together to create pathways from grassroots to elite competition while building inclusive sporting environments across Australia and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Athlete Eligibility Services Processing eligibility assessments for athletes with an intellectual impairment to enable them to compete in national and international events including the Virtus Global Games, Commonwealth Games, and Paralympics. Ensures fairness and maintains the integrity of competition.
• Capacity Building Program
• Sport Pathways Advisory
• Included Through School Sport Program
• Sport Diplomacy Projects
• Partnerships Program

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 8,000 athletes have experienced greater access, opportunity and belonging through sport
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Queensland AthleticscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 8 October 2025Competition delivery partner for the 2025 Virtus World Athletics Championships, conducting athletics competitions at Queensland Sport & Athletics Centre.
• Australian Sports CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Australian Government, through the Australian Sports Commission, provides investment and support to Sport Inclusion Australia. This partnership enables delivery of inclusion programs and national sporting organization functions.
• VirtuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSport Inclusion Australia is the Australian member of Virtus, the International Sport Federation for athletes with an intellectual impairment. This relationship enables international competition pathways and positions Australia within the global inclusion sport ecosystem.
• Paralympics AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSport Inclusion Australia is a founding member of Paralympics Australia, collaborating on athlete pathways and inclusion across the Paralympic movement.
• ASAPD (Australian Sports Association for People with Disability)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud partner contributing to the disability sport sector in Australia.
• School Sport AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop a national framework for inclusive school sport, integrating multiclass events into School Sport Australia championships and building pathways from school to community sport.
• Inclusion Solutions (Western Australia)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState and territory member organization for Western Australia, delivering inclusion through sport programs at the regional level.
• Life Stream Australia (Queensland)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState and territory member organization for Queensland, supporting athlete eligibility and inclusion sport pathways.
• New Horizons (Tasmania)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState and territory member organization for Tasmania, delivering inclusion through sport programs.
• SIA NSW ACT (New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState and territory member organization for NSW and ACT, supporting inclusion sport delivery.
• Australian TaekwondominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational sporting organization receiving inclusion workshops and capacity building support.
• Swimming AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational sporting organization receiving inclusion workshops and eligibility understanding support.
• Australian AthleticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational sporting organization receiving inclusion workshops and pathway development support.
• Accor HotelsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial accommodation provider for the 2019 INAS Global Games, providing over 20,000 bed nights and 80,000 meals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Australian Sports Commission: Australian Government agency that funds SIA and oversees national sporting organizations. Functions as primary funder and policy counterpart; not a peer in the operational sense but a critical ecosystem participant that shapes SIA's strategic options.
• Inclusion Australia: National disability advocacy organization led by people with intellectual disability. Adjacent ecosystem participant working on rights, advocacy, and policy — intersects with SIA's athlete cohort but operates in advocacy rather than sport delivery.
• School Sport Australia: National body coordinating inter-school sport championships. Strategic partner of SIA delivering inclusive school sport pathways; not a peer in mission but a critical channel partner for upstream athlete identification.
• Australian Sporting Alliance for People with Disability (ASAPD): Industry body and SIA partner representing disability sport organizations nationally. Acts as a collective advocacy and coordination body across disability sport NSOs of which SIA is a member.

Broad incumbents

• Special Olympics International: Global movement serving athletes with intellectual disabilities. Operates at international scale, dwarfing SIA's footprint, and provides the global competition counterpart to Special Olympics Australia's domestic activities — the international counterpart of SIA's Virtus-affiliated elite pathways.
• Paralympics Australia: The Australian Paralympic movement organization and founding partner of SIA. Operates across all disability categories (physical, sensory, intellectual), giving it broader scope and greater brand recognition than SIA, but SIA holds delegated responsibility for the intellectual impairment category.

Direct peers

• Special Olympics Australia: National organization providing sport training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities in Australia. Most direct peer to SIA — both serve the same intellectual impairment cohort through sport pathways, though Special Olympics focuses more on mass participation while SIA emphasizes elite/Paralympic pathways.
• Virtus (formerly INAS): The International Sport Federation for athletes with an intellectual impairment, of which SIA is the Australian member. Operates the Global Games, World Championships, and Oceania Asia Games — the same event ecosystem SIA participates in and helps host.

Emerging players

• Deaf Sports Australia: National sporting organization for deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes in Australia. Analogous role to SIA but for the sensory disability cohort — a peer in the national disability sport ecosystem that competes for similar government funding and athlete pathways.
• Blind Sports Australia: National organization coordinating sport for people who are blind or vision impaired. Peer NSO in the Australian disability sport landscape serving a different impairment category but addressing identical funding, pathway, and federation partnership dynamics as SIA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/SPORTINCAUS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@IncludedThroughSport
• Facebookfacebook.com/SPORTINCAUS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sport-inclusion-australia
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportincaus

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sport Inclusion Australia