Key sports had their own team announcements for the Beijing Games

In the lead-up to the 2008 summer Paralympics, the then Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) conducted separate formal team announcements for its major sports over a period of several weeks. These announcements each provided separate media coverage and so extended the profile of Paralympic sport within the media. The first of these was swimming, held at the Australian Institute of Sport, with the team announced by APC President Greg Hartung. Matthew Cowdrey was a popular choice for interviews after the formal announcement. Since 2008, the practice of separately announcing the individual sports has been continued and expanded, including a separate media release within the local region for every selected athlete.