Harvey Norman has been supporting sport in Australia for over 30 years and this sporting tailwind from Australia’s biggest retailer has been a work in progress that started with the Commonwealth Games in 2017, to the 2000 Sydney Olympics and now the Paralympians.
“Working with the Paralympics allows us to profile, support and highlight the athletes incredible stories, journeys and athletic brilliance,” CEO Katie Page said. “Our aim is to drive awareness of diversity and inclusion by supporting an all-inclusive Australia and inspiring the next generation of young Australian athletes.
“From a corporate perspective we do the branding, but at the grassroots level it’s critical to get everyone on board, not just in the cities but in regional centres too, such as working with Paralympians in their communities,” she said.
The retailer will have a presence in the Paralympic Village, creating a chill out zone, furniture, charging stations and gifting every Paralympian with an international charging kit and an exclusive Paralympics Australia power bank to keep the athletes charged for Paris. All corporate office and stores are sending messages via a digital screen on the charging station.
The retailer has supported a range of Paralympians over the years with Katie Kelly and the Sport Access foundation and more recently, Paralympians Madison de Rozario (Para-athletics), Chris Bond (wheelchair rugby) emerging Para-athletes Montana Atkinson (Para-swimming) and Hudson Wan (Para-swimming).