Paralympian, Dylan Alcott has been named as Australian of the Year for 2022 – marking the first time in the award’s 62-year history that a person with a disability has won the top award.
The 31-year-old athlete received the award for his achievements in sport and also his disability awareness work.
Five years ago, he founded the Dylan Alcott Foundation to provide scholarships and funding to Australians with a disability, and also co-founded the disability and accessibility training company, Get Skilled Access.
Prime minister, Scott Morrison, made the announcement at an event in Canberra this evening, on the same day Dylan qualified for the Australian Open final where he’s aiming to win his eighth title.
Along with this Paralympic efforts, Dylabn is also well known for his world record effort back in 2014 for the longest continuous game of wheelchair tennis – 24 hours non-stop – to raise funds for The Starlight Foundation.
He was awarded an Order of Australia in 2009 at just 18-years-old, and in 2016 was given the honour of being named Australia’s Paralympian of the Year.
He replaces outgoing winner, Grace Tame, who made headlines today when she snubbed Prime Minister Scott Morrison at an Australia Day luncheon at The Lodge in Canberra.
