BY DI SNEDDON
Singleton’s Coleby Dunston has competed in NSW Athletics all season but when he stepped onto the discuss arena at the State Championships in Sydney last weekend he was disqualified.
Not because he stepped over the line but because he can’t be visually impaired and have physical impairment according to the World Para Game Book.
It was a challenge Coleby faced last year when his mum, Hailey Ramplin, was told he couldn’t have a support person when competing in track and field events. It was after the completion of a 100m event at the NSW Open Championships last year during which Coleby received support from Singleton Track and Field coach Hiliary Kennedy. Coleby and Hiliary were approached after the race by officials to inform them he did not qualify for a support person (guide runner) because he was classified for a physical impairment, not a visual impairment, and he could not be both because there was no classification for this disability.
Lots of correspondence happened since then to determine Coleby’s classification and while extremely frustrated, Hailey and Coleby decided if he was going to continue to compete, he needed a support person (guide) so they opted for the TF12 classification to accommodate his vision impairment.
As his support person in field events, Hailey simply walks Coleby to where the competition starts, faces him in the direction of where he needs to throw and claps as he launches the discuss, shotput or javelin into the air. In running events, a tether is used and Coleby runs with a guide runner.
Coleby never throws very far and it has never been about winning or competing at an international level. Athletics is where Coleby has his own moment.
“It is about inclusion, enjoying his sport, being with friends and having fun, laughing, doing his best and experiencing what he loves which is clearly athletics,” Hailey said.
Despite Hailey having all the paperwork clarifying his TF12 classification to accommodate his vision impairment, the master list from Athletics NSW still had him in the TF38 classification for physical impairment that did not allow a support person and his eligibility to compete in his first event last Friday, discuss, was challenged and Coleby was disqualified.
Hailey was horrified, angry but overwhelmingly sad.
“All he wants to do is compete, have fun, he deserves to experience the joy of competition just like everyone else,” Hailey told The Hunter River Times.
After numerous phone calls, Athletics NSW acknowledged Hailey’s paperwork and admitted Coleby’s classification was not processed correctly.
Moments before his javelin event on Saturday, Coleby was given clearance to compete with his support person under the TF12 classification.
He also competed in the shotput and at the end of the day, had a fantastic weekend of sport but there were certainly no medals or records broken.
“For Coleby it is just the competition, to be included, it is never about winning,” Hailey said.
Hailey let it rip on Facebook on Friday night and has been overwhelmed by the response.
Many commented that the personal challenges they had with disability classifications, the paperwork and the confrontation steered them away from competitive competition.
Hailey is determined to see this change.
“For too long people haven’t wanted to take up the challenge, the excuse all comes down to the World Para Classification Playbook and this must change,” Hailey said.
“If I could give Coleby vision I would in a heartbeat, if I could change the fact that he has cerebral palsy and is also blind, I would, but I can’t.
“What I can do is give him opportunities to do what he loves and he loves getting his Singleton Track and Field uniform on and competing, we just need to get rid of all the unnecessary and ridiculous rules.
“We are not talking about the Olympics; we are just talking about Coleby being included and this is what para-athletics is supposed to be about.”
Coleby was born with multiple disabilities including optic nerve hypoplasia, cerebral palsy, autism and Addison’s disease.
“When he was little we were told many things he would “never” do. We were told he would never walk but at three years of age, he proved everyone wrong,” Hailey said.
Opportunities for kids with disabilities in regional communities are limited, but athletics became something incredibly special to Coleby. It was something he could do with his brothers and make new friends.
For Coleby, athletics has never been about winning, it’s about belonging.
“We are not the only ones experiencing this, something must change,” Hailey said.
“My son has spent his entire life proving people wrong, the system shouldn’t be another obstacle he has to overcome, all I have ever asked for is fairness, respect and safe inclusion for my child.”
