People admire what it takes to defy limits. Following the Paris 2024 Games, the Australian Paralympic Team was ranked the nation’s #1 Most Loved National Sports Team in Australia, with more than 10 million Aussies tuning in to watch them, and a huge spike in social engagement and fundraising support. Now Publicis Australia’s brand platform for Paralympics Australia aims to create enduring fandom and deeper engagement all year round.

Defy Limits celebrates Paralympians as they defy the odds, the stereotypes, and challenge perceptions of what’s possible and moves beyond disability-first storytelling, to put the athletes and their humanity in the spotlight, connecting Australians with their stories both on and off the sporting stage.

Commissioning research among up-and-coming Para athletes, Paralympians, sports fans and supporters, Paralympics Australia identified a common theme – that familiarity, visibility and support wavers during the four-year cycles between Summer Paralympic Games. In response, Paralympics Australia has set out to build greater awareness of Australia’s Paralympians and Para athletes alongside national and international competitions in order to increase excitement and build lasting brand relevance beyond Games time, presenting them as a powerful proof point of human capability, resilience and possibility.

With Australia set to host a growing calendar of major international sporting events in the lead-up to LA 28 and Brisbane 2032, including hosting the Wheelchair Rugby World Cup in 2027, the opportunity to build sustained interest in Australian sport has never been greater.

The new Defy Limits campaign will roll out over the next two years to grow fandom by giving Australians more reasons to know and support Aussie Paralympians.

Brendon Harrington, general manager, brand, marketing and digital at Paralympics Australia, stated, “Every four years we see our Paralympians on the global stage and they become the most loved team in Australia. Our ambition is to build genuine, year-round fandom for Australian Paralympians. The type of fandom where kids choose to put up posters of our athletes on their bedroom walls.

“We want Australia to see their athleticism and their humanity. Para athletes like Alexa Leary and Dylan Alcott have built fandom by letting Australians in to see their personalities and lives beyond competing. Australia has an incredible line-up of Para athletes we have coming through the system and we’re proud to feature 10 of them in this campaign across a breadth of sports. We hope Defy Limits will inspire sports clubs, coaches, kids and adults everywhere who live with disability to believe they can play sport and potentially compete at the highest level. We’re inviting all Australians to follow the journeys of our Paralympians towards LA28, Brisbane 2032 and beyond.”

Simone Waugh, managing director, Publicis Australia, added, “Defy Limits celebrates the human drive behind extraordinary Para athletes who refuse to be defined by the limits or expectations placed on them. Through their stories, we hope to inspire Australians to question the limits in their own lives and imagine what else might be possible. This is a platform that has the potential to inspire people to defy the barriers and the limits society places on us every day.”

The platform launched across Nine, 9Now, Stan and QMS out-of-home on 8 November 2026, with a cinematic hero film led by Wheelchair Rugby Paralympian, Ryley Batt OAM, featuring 10 athletes in competition mode, and extending into outdoor, radio, digital and social. Each athlete has their own 15 second film, as well as extensions into longer-form stories and social-feeds leading up to LA28, Brisbane 2032 and beyond.

Paralympic athletes featured include: Alexa Leary (Para Swimming); Vanessa Low (Para Athletics: Long Jump); Telaya Blacksmith (Para Athletics: Track); Ameera Lee (Para Archery); Daniel Bos (Para Powerlifting); Sarah Larcombe (Para Climbing); Ryley Batt (Wheelchair Rugby); Jaylen Brown (Wheelchair Basketball); Kane Perris and Luke Zaccaria (Para Cycling).

Credits:
Client: Paralympics Australia
Head of Commercial, Communications and Brand: Angela Garniss
General Manager, Brand, Marketing and Digital: Brendon Harrington
Brand, Marketing and Digital: Zoe Burr 

Creative Agency: Publicis Australia (previously Publicis Worldwide Australia)
Managing Director: Simone Waugh
Chief Strategy Officer: Simon Murphy
Group Executive Creative Director: Ryan Petie
Executive Creative Director: Jim McKeown
Art Director: Andrew Leftley
Creative Directors: Ash Kennedy & Carissa Jackson
Client Partner: Gen Matjevic
Operations Director: Sarah-Jane Ewing
Executive Producer, Publicis Production ANZ: Natalie Mitchell 

Production Company: Spry Films
Director: Brendan Schoenmaker
Stills Photographer: Jason Starr
Post-production: 3P Studio