Introduction
2.1
This chapter provides some background on what adaptive sports are, what they cover, their benefits, and the evolution of how they have come to be used as a means of assisting veterans to have a full life.
2.2
The following is a quote from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide’s recently released interim report:
In the Military, Kapooka (in my case), they break you, then remake you! That works, it works, to help you survive, to work in a team, to do your job and get thru any situation you may find yourself in, while you’re in the Military but what they don’t teach you is how to leave that life, leave behind that functioning skill set that is reserved for War. They don’t tell you how to let go and commence living in what is our communities and Society’s reality back home…
What is adaptive sport?
2.3
Adaptive sports are variations on classic sports—including, but not limited to, sailing, rowing, biking, rugby, bowls, or soccer—with the inclusion of modifications, where necessary, to allow people with physical injuries and disabilities the opportunity to participate independently, with confidence and comfort. Sport has long been recognised as providing a way for defence veterans to build connections to their local community and can help build routine and create stability in daily life. Participating in a team sport or being part of a group can create an enhanced sense of belonging and builds social cohesion and friendships. As highlighted in Chapter 1, the term adaptive sport is perceived by some to exclude support for veterans who do not have physical injuries but benefit from sport as a proven aid to mental health or re-integration into the civilian community.
History of adaptive sports
2.4
The story of adaptive sports has been a history of innovation in science, medicine, and technology. Much of this development has been borne by soldiers who were injured during one of the many conflicts but, particularly, the First and Second World Wars.
2.5
Innovation cuts both ways, advances in weaponry have fuelled advances in medical technology. Use of more destructive ballistics in the 1860s during the American Civil War saw an increase in amputation as the most effective treatment of injured soldiers:
Most physicians of the era were woefully inexperienced in surgery and were no match for the devastating injuries that these powerful new weapons inflicted. With some 70% of Civil War wounds affecting the limbs, amputation quickly became the treatment of choice in battlefield surgery. A primary amputation was easier, faster, and–with a mortality rate of "only" 28%–safer than other treatment options. More than 30,000 Union soldiers and 40,000 Confederate soldiers lost limbs between 1861 and 1865.
2.6
Subsequent high demand for prosthetic limbs and a public recognition of the sacrifice veterans had made led the US (United States) Government to enact the Great Civil War Benefaction program to provide prostheses to all disabled veterans. This government support led to a boom in prosthetic development and manufacturing. Thereby, effectively creating the prosthetic industry which in turn led to some of the first significant innovations, including the development of moveable rather than rigid prosthetic limbs enabling veterans to lead productive lives.
2.7
However, spinal injuries were more difficult to treat and rehabilitate. Patients with paraplegia often died rapidly from overwhelming sepsis due to pressure sores and urinary tract infections from being immobilised in plaster, sedated, and left for lengthy periods in bed. The introduction of penicillin dramatically reduced fatal infections especially among spinal injuries.
2.8
Other medical advances, including the collection and distribution of blood plasma allowed for life-saving blood transfusions and better anaesthesia enabled surgeons to save lives on the operating table. Field hospitals and portable surgical units situated close to the battlefield enabled doctors to treat the wounded expeditiously. Faster evacuation and transportation methods, including large transport planes and hospital ships, enabled injured veterans greater chance of survival.
2.9
A range of medical and technical advances brought on by World War Two revolutionised treatment for injured veterans. Before the outbreak of World War Two, Ludwig Guttman, a German-Jewish neurosurgeon, fled Nazi Germany to the UK (United Kingdom), where he was responsible for establishing one of the first spinal units at the Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire. Here he made the first significant breakthrough in the rehabilitation of people with spinal paralysis.
2.10
A central part of Guttman’s new treatment was the introduction of sport-based rehabilitation making use of the competitive sporting instincts of the young patients who had led active lives before their disabling injuries. Competitive activity at Stoke Mandeville developed from darts, skittles, and snooker competitions in local pubs to ball throwing, wheelchair polo, wheelchair netball, and archery.
2.11
It was Guttmann's belief that patients with spinal injury could be active members of society if they were given dedicated, tailor-made rehabilitation programs involving new adaptive equipment, muscle-group strengthening exercises, and, importantly, psychological support. Guttmann would show staff and patients how exercise and sport could improve strength, balance, and co-ordination and thus get patients moving and more independent.
2.12
In the US, similar advances had occurred on both sides of the country. In 1944, Dr Ernest Bors, in California and Dr Howard A. Rusk in New York both developed treatments in which paralysed veterans used sport to repair their bodies and to adjust to their “new normal” condition. Veterans and doctors experimented with several sports, including seated volleyball and wheelchair baseball. However, it was Professor Timothy J. Nugent that popularised competitive wheelchair basketball in 1948 in the US as a form of rehabilitation for World War II veterans. Professor Nugent is widely regarded as the founder of national wheelchair basketball for males and females and the founder of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.
2.13
In 1956, Adaptive Sports USA was established. This lead to the establishment of the National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA). The initial impetus for the NWAA grew out of the interests of athletes with a disability, many of whom were veterans of World War Two. Today the NWAA is now known as Wheelchair Sports, USA and Adaptive Sports USA is now Move United.
2.14
Guttman’s promotion of sport not only changed rehabilitation and treatment for patients with spinal injuries but also led to establishment of the Stoke Mandeville Games which originally consisted of an archery contest on the hospital lawn.
2.15
By 1952, the annual Stoke Mandeville Games had more than 130 international competitors taking part including the USA, Israel, and many European countries.
2.16
In 1960, the Stoke Mandeville Games were held alongside the Rome Olympics with 400 disabled athletes welcomed to the Olympic stadium. This is recognised as the first Paralympic Games. Since the establishment of the Paralympics many further games for disabled individuals have been established.
2.17
The establishment of dedicated veterans’ games has flourished in numerous countries over the years, with the US’s Warrior Games being some of the largest followed now by the Invictus Games which began in 2014. More detail on Invictus Games can be found in chapter one.
Adaptive sports today
2.18
The initial emphasis of rehabilitation, through the use of sport, was designed to engage veterans with their peers and with the community to help them get moving for physical rehabilitation and to reconnect with people. Part of this engagement relied on utilising the team spirit and training that was central to veterans’ collective military backgrounds. Submissions to the inquiry highlighted that evidence is also emerging from the UK, US, and Israel of the mental and physical benefits of veteran participation in community-based sports as opposed to just the high profile and competitive events.
Benefits of adaptive sport
2.19
Submitters were unanimous in their belief that adaptive sports are beneficial in aiding the wellbeing of veterans. Anecdotal evidence from submitters highlighted benefits including lowering of stress and anxiety, ease of socialisation after transitioning out of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and boosting self-esteem. Adaptive sport offers a means of reconnecting with the community and mitigating feelings of loss of identity.
2.20
Dr Jonathan Lane, a psychiatrist, and Afghanistan veteran and the Australian Invictus Games team coach for archery (2018–2020), provided evidence that there is little peer reviewed research about the long-term benefits of high-profile competitive adaptive sport, but there is strong backing for activities that involve peer support. This peer support is best provided at the community level as it is here ‘that [it] gives them a sense of purpose and a sense of meaning, a reason to get out of the house, a reason to talk to people and a reason to feel good about themselves’.
International studies or reviews
2.21
A 2019 US Department of Veterans Affairs report into Adaptive Sports for Disabled Veterans undertook a systematic review of the available evidence on the benefits and harms of adaptive sports participation, barriers to, and facilitators of, participation and made very similar observations to those mentioned by Dr Lane. It found that:
… the evidence for the effectiveness of the adaptive sports programs is limited in quantity, quality, and applicability…[however]… there was little evidence of harms associated with adaptive sports program participation.
2.22
An additional study in 2011 noted significant pre- and post-test differences in psychological health, overall quality of life, mood states including tension, depression, anger, and vigour, and sports related competence in veterans. Results of the study highlight the impact that adaptive sports and recreation programs have for veterans:
The challenges facing veterans returning from combat have been well documented and include various negative outcomes such as: general alienation, bitterness, boredom, substance abuse, unemployment, poor mental health, and difficulty in relationships.
[V]eterans who participated in a therapeutic adaptive sports and recreation program in Sun Valley, Idaho. After participation in the therapeutic recreation program, significant changes were observed in mood states and perceived competences. A promising trend, although not significant, was also observed regarding improvement in quality of life and psychological health. These findings illustrate the therapeutic potential of adaptive sport and recreation services in addressing the needs of returning combat veterans who have acquired a disability.
2.23
In the UK, a 2014 study was undertaken by the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport, Loughborough University, to look at the ‘impact of sport and physical activity on the well-being of combat veterans’. The key findings of this study were:
Sport and physical activity enhances subjective well-being in veterans through active coping and doing things again, PTSD symptom reduction, positive affective experience, activity in nature/ecotherapy, and quality of life. Impact on psychological well-being includes determination and inner strength, focus on ability and broadening of horizons, identity and self-concept, activity in nature/ecotherapy, sense of achievement/ accomplishment, and social well-being. Participating in sport and/or physical activity can also enhance motivation for living.
2.24
In its submission to the inquiry, the Department of Defence (Defence) noted similar findings to the above international studies on empirical data:
Consistent with the developing area of interest in sport, studies to date are limited, do not involve randomised control trials and rely heavily on qualitative research. Literature and systematic reviews are activity in recovery from injury. Moreover, the ADFASP has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of South Australia focussed on the provision of allied health, exercise and sports science, and high performance testing for participants preparing for the Invictus and Warrior Games. Physical activity (in the form of sport) has been a relatively new emphasis across the United Kingdom, United States and other Allies to aid in the rehabilitation and recovery of wounded, injured or ill veterans.
2.25
Defence’s submission also clearly outlined the benefits attributed to the integration of sport activities in veterans’ lives.
The benefits of sport have been shown in a number of reviews that have highlighted the growing body of evidence supporting the positive effects of exercise and sport on the veterans’ mental health, including for improving post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, social wellbeing, sleep quality and improvement in the quality of life. More research is needed on the use of sport and exercise to promote mental health in the veteran cohort, and there is growing evidence supporting its value, and to this end, grant funding provided to Invictus Australian includes financial support to conduct research to develop the evidence-base around the benefits of adaptive sports and community interaction for improved mental health and wellbeing outcomes within the veteran community.
Views from submitters
2.26
The committee received moving accounts from submitters and witnesses sharing their stories, experiences, and positive outcomes from participation in adaptive sports.
2.27
Bowls Australia recounted the positive social experience felt by a participant in the organisation’s Bowls Gr8 for Brains (BG4B) initiative, highlighting the ways the participant was able to better connect with their community and family:
A recent participant of a BG4B program attributed their recovery from PTSD after 26 years of service to Australia to the sport of Bowls which provided an environment that allowed them to reintroduce socialisation into their life. It also provided a space for them to reconnect with their children who also enjoyed the sport. Using adaptive sport, they were able to continue their newfound interest in their own backyard during COVID lockdown restrictions. Creating these [new positive memories] has helped them to move on [and] focus less on their past traumatic workplace experiences.
2.28
Horse Aid’s submission detailed the lowered depression, anxiety and stress felt by those who participated in their programs:
In that moment, [attuning to the horse] I am not screaming my internal pain or relieving my haunting experiences from the ship; I am recognising my strengths and drawn to his … The experience moved me in ways that is hard to describe.
2.29
The National Rugby League (NRL) submitted the experience of Mr Nicholas Willer, Ex-Navy officer who was discharged and suffering from depression. After discovering the NRL’s Battlefields to Footyfields program, Mr Willer found purpose again and now works for the NRL as a game development officer:
The Battlefields program is also a great way to meet new people and put yourself back out into the community by helping local associations with officials, sport trainers etc. This program is a great steppingstone for those who have trouble stepping out and meeting new people as well. You get to meet new people with similar interests as well as other people in the community that you live in.
2.30
In reflecting on her experience at the 2017 Invictus Games, Ms Sonya Newman, 2017 and 2018 Invictus Games member, wrote of the positive effect the training and feeling of being a part of a team had on her:
The 2017 Games Team was announced and I had witnessed some athletes who were shells of people at the start, grow into amazing people who would give anything a go, and would support you to the absolute end. I felt like I had finally found a way to fill the void of losing my career and felt like I could do anything.
…
The 2017 Games in Toronto was like nothing I’d ever imagined. I was thanked for my service by complete strangers on the street, met 100’s of fellow veterans and compared injuries and recovery success and techniques.
2.31
Similarly, Ms Renee Wilson, submitting on behalf of herself and her husband Mr Gary Wilson, wounded Afghanistan War veteran, wrote of the effect participating in the ADF Adaptive Sport Program (ADFASP) had in inspiring him to a renewed purpose:
Gary has participated in multiple international and domestic sporting opportunities as a result of that program. The program inspired him to achieve physical and mental milestones that we didn’t initially think possible. The program helped to developed Gary’s passion for health and wellbeing and we have no doubt has helped him find his new purpose.
2.32
Mrs Vanessa Broughill, 2018 and 2022 Invictus Games participant, reflected on the benefits of participating in adaptive sport in training for the Games, participating in the Games, and then returning to a local level:
A lot of people think that being a member of Team Australia for the Invictus Games is what made the big changes, but, to be brutally honest, the changes for me were at that local level. Having a student trainer appearing each week, for me to go and train with, gave me the access, for starters, but it also gave me that accountability—to rock up to those training sessions; to get out of the house. It gave me something to be doing. So, for me, they were where I made my biggest strides. Over the years that I was involved in the program, that was definitely the thing that made the biggest difference for me … Being accountable and having the accessibility—and then, moving forward from that, now that I have transitioned out of the program, knowing that I still have that community that I can rely on.
2.33
Finally, Sailing On’s submission recounted the experience of a family member whose father took part in the Turn to Starboard program after his return from the Afghanistan War:
My daddy came back from Afghanistan but when we went sailing, he really came back.
Elite level and community sport
2.34
Whilst there is agreement that adaptive sport is beneficial for veterans transitioning out of the ADF, the nature of participation in sport is critical. The committee received evidence that elite-level events, including the Invictus Games, may not be suitable for the needs of all veterans and should be considered as an adjunct to a key focus on an adaptive sport program at the community level.
2.35
At the elite level, athletes and coaches who have attended the Invictus Games have said that while their experience was mostly positive, they also ‘felt hugely pressured and severely struggled with the expectations’ and that they felt the environment was a ‘pressure-cooker’. The focus on performance, rather than process and community, can have different effects on different individuals.
2.36
The committee heard from Dr Lane that ongoing engagement with the participant at the elite level is lacking. The heavy focus on results at the Invictus Games can have a detrimental effect on the veterans’ ongoing treatment:
Additionally, because the focus is on those individuals and their performance over that short period of the competition, it can result in a loss of balance for some individuals. They are given the message that ‘being here is a victory’ but the personal aim is for medals, to be a winner, and to receive the publicity and acclaim that winning medals gives them.
If their sole focus is performance, measured during one day of competition, then this narrow external focus means they can conflate their personal self-worth with their performance results. If they fail to achieve medals, they can fall hard. The athletes can therefore struggle to see the context of how their participation is a brief moment in their lives, winning medals is a transitory moment of glory, and they still have to have a normal life after it all finishes, even if they do win medals.
…
I feel we could be doing better to help them understand that there are other benefits they gained from participation, and they need to continue the habits, routines and focus they had during this time after the Games have ended.
2.37
Dr Lane advocates for a more holistic approach to the use of adaptive sport in treatment and transition, making the point that the priority should be on ‘performance in functional day-to-day living, your interpersonal relationships with family and others, your mental health functioning and those other sorts of things as well … The primary outcome here is actually better functioning and better mental health, and we're using sport as a vehicle for that’.
2.38
The continuity of care and participation after the Invictus Games was a recurring message throughout the inquiry. Mr Scott Reynolds also raised the ongoing nature and benefits of community-level participation compared to elite events:
Invictus Games is just one facet of veterans' inclusive or adaptive sports. It's not the be all and end all; it's an event that happens once every second year. Local club and group-type activities are happening every single day of the week. You need to be involved in sport consistently if you're actually going to gain the benefits that are available, whether that's fitness, wellbeing, vocational benefits or volunteering.
2.39
Mr Reynolds also noted that both elite and community-based sports have their respective place. Still, the central reason for participation in adaptive sports is rehabilitation:
Both models have their advantages and their disadvantages. I believe that something such as Invictus Games needs to go back to its core of being a rehabilitation-type activity. You're a participant. You're not an athlete. You're not being selected because you're the fastest representative of Australia or whatever country you're coming from. You're there because you have a need for rehabilitation.
Committee view
2.40
The committee recognises the overwhelming evidence of the benefits that adaptive sports have provided and continue to provide to veterans and their families. The committee notes the range of activities that are now available across the sporting paradigm for veterans to participate in, and acknowledges the role that many organisations, sporting bodies, and codes have played to ensure these activities are available. That said, the benefits to veterans could be better realised through greater coordination and a stronger focus on the role of sport in supporting veteran wellbeing.
2.41
While coordination should sit with government, the committee is of the view that Australian sporting codes and organisations have an important role to play in ensuring adaptive sport opportunities are available to our veteran community. For example, ensuring there are sporting programs available for veterans should be a top priority for government and sporting codes when it comes to the development of sport diversity and inclusion policies.
2.42
The committee acknowledges that while there are many qualitative reports on the benefits of participation in adaptive sports only some studies have provided definitive or quantitative results on measurable outcomes. Nevertheless, the stories, messages, and submissions to this inquiry bear testament to the concrete change that does occur for veterans and their families through their participation in sporting activities, particularly when participation is within their own communities. The changes that veterans undergo by being involved is evident to the committee. The benefits made apparent throughout the inquiry, give the committee confidence in the efficacy any future investment made in adaptive sport as part of the transition process to civilian life.
2.43
The committee understands the pursuit of elite sporting success and the benefits that come from reaching the pinnacle of one’s chosen field is an achievement well worth recognising. The committee notes the strong view that participation in such sporting events should be viewed as secondary to the benefits of sport as a vehicle for rehabilitation and transition support. In terms of both preparation for competition and a “soft landing” post competition, participation in events such as Invictus Games—for those individuals able and motivated to train for selection—should be an extension of an ongoing program of participation in non-competitive community-based sport.
2.44
The committee recommends that the term ‘veterans’ sport’ should be adopted to describe the spectrum of activities from adaptive sports—where modifications of equipment or rules are required to allow veterans with physical injuries to participate—to activities designed to facilitate the inclusion of veterans in community-based sporting clubs as part of transition or rehabilitation from mental health impacts of service.
2.45
The committee recommends that the focus of veterans’ sports should be on rehabilitation and supporting transition from service for any veteran who wishes to participate, with facilitation of teams for competitive events being an adjunct for the small number of veterans who wish to try out for selection. Government, sporting organisations and codes, and the veteran community should take an active role in supporting this focus.
Possible gaps in services
2.46
The committee received evidence from grassroots organisations outlining the ways they fill existing gaps in services to veterans. For some, it was a way to help veterans where ‘there are barriers to seeking traditional treatments for PTSD and related issues because of the stigma associated with psychological conditions.’
2.47
Sailing On gave evidence during a public hearing in Canberra detailing their role in filling a gap in veterans sailing services after Navy no longer offered such an option:
[T]he HMAS Stirling that used to have a yacht, but for a number of reasons they decided to get rid of that. So there are no service facilities, as such, for people to go and do what we do. That was pretty much it. So we've had that gap there and we said, 'Okay. We have these vessels that are available.' So, once any of our skippers have proven their capability, they can take the yacht at any time. They book it out and take the yacht. And it's the same with Army, Navy and Air Force: if any of their units wish to borrow our vessels and they have a skipper who is true and trusted, then they can use the vessels to take their people out.
2.48
For many grassroots organisations, simply offering a sport for any veteran to try fills a gap in sporting service delivery between the high-level coordinating groups and the community. In responding to questioning around how the ADF can make better use of adaptive sports, Mr Scott Seccombe advocated for the ADF to work more closely with other organisations:
The ADF is a machine that does a job. It does have an obligation to its members, but that's not its primary job. This is one of those things where it needs to work with those organisations that are set up, such as RSLs or Soldier On, to enhance their adaptive sport delivery—how it is received, how it's advertised and how it's promoted to the marketplace. To answer your question about what the ADF can do better, they need to work more closely with those who are doing the adaptive sports or sports in the veteran community.
2.49
The committee also received evidence from submitters critiquing duty of care processes for unsuccessful Invictus Games applicants, and on the changing priorities of coaches as the Invictus Games has evolved.
2.50
Ms Penelope Looker is a retired Sergeant Army Psychological Examiner, medically discharged from the Army in 2015 after suffering a stroke along with multiple musculoskeletal injuries. At the time of her discharge, Ms Looker had undergone approximately 30 surgeries for her injuries. As an extremely competitive sportsperson with a background in running, bodybuilding, and netball, Ms Looker naturally used exercise as a coping mechanism. After attending her first Invictus camp in the lead up to the 2016 Orlando Invictus Games, Ms Looker was pushed to try cycling:
I was pushed towards cycling even though it had never been high on my list of events to try. I was pushed into purchasing a bicycle that was a lot more financially than I could afford. I did this as I needed to have something that would make me competitive. I was assured that it would help towards selection for the next games as I was not competitive for the first round I applied for.
…
I applied again and went through to the athletics camp and then the cycling camp. Then I was pushed into spending a huge amount of money on a “bike fit” which would optimize the set up of the bicycle for me to ride it. What none of this took into consideration was the fact that I had sustained lower back injuries, injuries to both hips and knees and the setup, which costs around $1500, set the bike up for a person of my height without any injuries. It made it unrideable for me. In actual fact, the changes that I was forced to make to my bicycle caused me to have serious pain I my hips which has resulted in a further surgery to both hips. I was assured by the physio that this would not impact my position on the team and I was told he would be visiting me in Newcastle to do an assessment and ensure I made the team. I had done all of the rehab and was training as hard as I could. I then received a phone call the day before the team was announced to advise I was not on the team, and I should join a local adaptive sports team to make myself more competitive. Adaptive sports teams were not a thing in my area. There was no support. It was all taken away from me again.
2.51
The rejection from the team, followed by zero aftercare, only worsened the poor headspace Ms Looker found herself in following the abrupt end to her career. She reflected that ‘the team management were atrocious. They did not care for the wellbeing of anyone. It was very clear that the only goal was to win medals no matter the cost’.
2.52
Despite this rejection, Ms Looker decided to have another attempt at making the 2018 Sydney team. She bought a rowing machine and began a training plan with the intention of applying for the rowing team. She recounts her experience at the Invictus camp she attended after applying:
The first thing that happened was one of the coaches asked where my bicycle was. When I explained, I was told I had the wrong attitude and won’t get anywhere like that. That comment floored me. I had literally given my everything repeatedly. I got involved in all of the team sports and the rowing at that camp. It was great to see so many familiar faces, although I was surprised seeing some as we were told we would only be able to compete twice then could only support. I was not surprised however, when an email came the following week saying thanks but no thanks. Again, no support given, not even a phone call. Just a generic email that didn’t even have my name on it. It was literally just sent to everyone that was not selected.
2.53
On the other hand, Ms Sonya Newman, Corporal in the Australian Army who was forced to discharge after having her right leg amputated above the knee, praised the coaches who supported her during the 2017 Invictus Games:
The 2017 team were not just coaches and fellow athletes, they were friends and a massive support network. There were numerous times I called a coach or a fellow athlete in the depths of despair as I doubted my abilities. Especially when I had injury setbacks.
2.54
However, her experience at the 2018 Invictus Games was completely different. In her view, it was clear that a shift in priorities had taken place and success was now the primary factor over rehabilitation:
As the team trials and selections progressed in the lead up, it became clear to me that the aims of the management team were different (both the head coach, team manager and a number of other coaches hadn’t returned to the team – some voluntarily and others were replaced). It was no longer about recovery and who needed the opportunity to aid in their rehabilitation, it was about sending the strongest team possible to the games, and results mattered more than they ever had. It seemed it was only my times that mattered, not taking into account how I was doing as a person (how it was in 2017). I felt hugely pressured and severely struggled with the expectations. The team had changed significantly and it was super competitive and didn’t appear as supportive as it once was. This became apparent when team mates were told they had been cut – these people were giving their all. Now I understand the Games team management wanted results – the previous teams had given outstanding results with half the amount of support the 2018 team was receiving (training facilities, uniforms etc). But to me, cutting some people who needed this experience to positively improve their outlook and ability to function went against what Prince Harry envisioned when he created the games. The previous teams weren’t about medals, but it was clear the 2018 Team was. I called my 2017 coaches numerous times during the 2018 lead up, pleading with them to come back, as I missed their personal touches where you weren’t just seen as a number or a time, but as a person.
2.55
When questioned about the distressing experiences expressed regarding selection processes and interaction with coaches, Invictus Australia said that coach selection is ultimately a decision of Defence:
It's a program management coaching decision—it's a Defence decision, ultimately. That is under review at the moment. I think the experiences coming out of the last couple of games in terms of the professional staff they use is a consideration. Also, they've looked, in the past, to find opportunities for those who have come through the program to return as coaching staff, as the next step in their own process of recovery, and to move into some of those other volunteer based roles. Through experience is highlighting some issues that are being worked through in terms of whether that's a workable situation, particularly the environment and the team that's been supported. The team has a doctor and psych as part of it. From our perspective, all our staff undertake a fair degree of training around some of these things.
2.56
In responding to the accounts of Ms Looker and Ms Newman, Brigadier Philip Winter, Director General, ADF Sport, Defence, told the committte that a lack of wellbeing would be contrary to everything the program stands for. Brigadier Winter described the framework of governance to the committee:
The support we provide to the team and the staff starts with, as you said, coaches but also the selection of our doctor and psychologist. They are always on site, through every training camp, through every activity, and regular updates to those team members means that that support is always in place. That was insisted on, from the get-go, by our CDF. We understood, as part of the rehabilitation process, the importance of medical health, given so many of the wounded, the injured and the ill who present—around 75 per cent of most of the teams—will have some sort of mental health condition. That was recognised and acted upon.
In terms of selection of the competitors, that process has matured and is done in partnership with Invictus Australia. It involves, currently, a screening by the medical team of the suitability for a person, for the event, followed by a meet and greet and an assessment of their ability to undertake the program. Some people aren't ready and some people leave feeling they still want more. There's never—the two-games rules for some of these events has been a timing issue for us.
The selection of staff is also important to us. We did have a process, for example, early on of trying to encourage our competitors to go from being a competitor to maturing into a staff or management position. We learnt a big lesson that that is not a good thing to do. We must provide the best coaches, where we can, to the team and we do that in partnership, as mentioned, with Invictus Australia. So we select the best people.
Committee view
2.57
The committee acknowledges the intention of Invictus Australia and the ADFASP to provide for the wellbeing of participants at the Invictus Games, however, the committee is concerned by the accounts received from some submitters detailing the negative impact of a focus on success above rehabilitation and issues in aftercare.
2.58
The committee considers that participation, rehabilitation, and aiding the veteran in their transition journey should be at the forefront of the Invictus Games experience. The variability of the experience of veterans at the games indicates that better due diligence in the selection of coaches is required.
2.59
Qualifications should be considered not only for the athletic aspects of the coaching role, but also in dealing with mental health issues. Criteria underpinning selection of staff for management or coaching roles should ensure that they have genuine commitment and capability to making rehabilitation the priority.
2.60
The committee recommends that the criteria underpinning selection of staff for management or coaching roles in events such as the Invictus Games should require—in addition to sporting or management qualifications directly relevant to the role—a commitment and demonstrated capability to ensure veteran rehabilitation as a priority.