The finalists for the 2022 Disability Sport and Recreation Awards have been announced and we are incredibly excited to congratulate Alois Rosario (Coach/Fitness Leader of the Year) Qian Yang (Sportsperson of the Year – Elite) and the 2022 Nationals Team Vic Para Squad (Team of the Year) on being nominated as finalists for this year’s awards set to be held at PwC in Southbank on November 8.

TTV are extremely proud of each of these finalists following their fantastic results and achievements over the last year.

Nominated for Coach/Fitness Leader of the Year, if Alois wins next month, it will be his second Victorian Coach of the Year award in 2022 after being crowned Southern Cross Trophies Coach of the Year at the 2021 Victorian Sport Awards which were held in June earlier this year at Melbourne Park.

The national Para Coach for Table Tennis Australia spearheaded the country’s Tokyo Paralympics campaign which brought home the highest number of table tennis medals ever (two golds and four silvers) while one of his athletes, Qian Yang, was named the 2021 Australian Para Player of the Year.

Yang is also a finalist for the Elite Sportsperson of the Year at this year’s Disability Sport and Recreation Awards after a tremendous 12 months that saw her help the Aussie Para-table tennis team break a 37-year Olympic drought as well as winning a Commonwealth Game sgold medal on debut in Birmingham.

In Tokyo she won gold in the women’s singles class 10 event, she then backed it up in the women’s teams class 9-10 event, teaming up with Milly Tapper and Lina Lei, together they helped Australia collect a record-breaking silver.

As it was the fifth medal for the Australian Para-table tennis team in Tokyo, the squad broke Australia’s previous record of four medals that were won at the Tokyo 1964 Paralympic Games.

Also nominated as a finalist for the 2022 Team of the Year is TTV’s Para Team from this year’s Table Tennis Australia National Championships in Caloundra.

The Para Team finished with a brilliant 26 medals including 12 gold, 10 silver and 4 bronze across the Teams, Doubles and Singles events.

“The whole team did really well, 26 medals was a great achievement and it probably could have been more but unfortunately we had a couple of players pull out due to COVID and other reasons. But it didn’t matter in the end, all of our new and our experienced players were great, and everyone played really well.” Said Para Coach Mick Tomlinson at the time.

TTV would like to wish all of the finalist’s good luck!

For more information on the Awards including how to purchase tickets and to view the awards categories head to the DSR website HERE.