An avid climber, creative writer and cerebral palsy warrior, I am a proud member of the Australian National Paraclimbing team working to compete on the International Sport Climbing World Cup circuit for a second year.

Born with cerebral palsy (spastic diplegia, which impacts my balance, strength and range of motion in my lower limbs), I found climbing in 2018 and once realising the sport lent itself to my comically disproportionate upper body strength, I haven't looked back since.

I competed internationally for the first time in 2022 and finished 7th in my sport class RP1. Currently the National Champion for my sport class, my experience overseas has driven me to come back stronger and ready to fight for a podium this year. However, because of the dates chosen for the European competitions, the time I'll spend overseas is nearly double that of last year, which also means double the cost.

With no sponsors or associated support, I am entirely self funded and estimate that in order to compete in the full calendar of competitions will be a 10 week endeavour, inclusive of flights, training, accommodation, allied health and nutrition expenses.

Being a disabled athlete in an emerging sport, there is currently no funding or structured support to compete at any level. Your donation will help provide equity in opportunity and allow me to work toward realising my Paralympic dream (with the sport currently in discussion for inclusion in LA 2028) while helping to build Paraclimbing in Australia.

Your donations will go towards training, travel, and accommodation costs for me to attend:

• IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup - Innsbruck, Austria (June)
• IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup - Villars, Switzerland (July)
• IFSC Paraclimbing World Championship - Bern, Switzerland (August)

All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible, any support is greatly appreciated!

You can follow my training and international competition journey on Instagram @minty_macc