Australia at the 1986 FESPIC Games

Australia was represented by 113 amputee, wheelchair and athletes with vision impairment at the 1976 FESPIC Games. The team was led by George Dunstan, who had previously been the Australian FESPIC Team Manager in 1977.

The Australian Team continued its record of FESPIC Games success in Surakarta, winning 176 medals in total, 104 gold, 44 silver medals and 28 bronze medals. It topped the medal tally, ahead of Indonesia, which won 75 gold medals.

On 26 September, shortly after the Team’s return, its performance was acknowledged in the Australian Parliament by the Minister for Sport, John Brown, who claimed – somewhat optimistically – that the results “made us the top nation in the world in disabled sport”.

One of Australia’s top performers was swimmer Rosemary Elliott (née Eames), who won five gold medals, breaking two world records in the process.

The Australian Team continued its record of FESPIC Games success in Surakarta, winning 176 medals in total, 104 gold, 44 silver medals and 28 bronze medals.