Suncorp's own Ryley Batt OAM is gearing up for gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Meet Ryley Batt OAM - GIO Brand Ambassador, CTP Advisor and five-time Paralympian representing Australia in wheelchair rugby.

With five Paralympic Games under his belt, dual-gold medallist Ryley Batt is regarded as one of the greatest wheelchair rugby players of all time. His attendance in Paris next month will mark Mr Batt’s sixth Paralympic Games, and his 350th international wheelchair rugby game.  

When Mr Batt isn’t busy training or competing as an elite athlete in the Australian Steelers Wheelchair Rugby Team, he is a valued Suncorp Group employee, working as a GIO Brand Ambassador and Advisor in the CTP Customer Proposition team. 

“It’s hard to juggle, but that’s what it takes to be an elite sportsperson,” he said.  

"We train every single day and don't take playing for our country for granted. There's only a small window that an athlete can compete at such a high level, and you want to make the most of it.” 

A typical day for Mr Batt involves a two-hour training session from 7 – 9am, before attending to work calls and meetings. He usually does some recovery exercises throughout the day, before heading to training again in the evening.  

Suncorp Group recognises the value of a diverse and flexible workplace - we will be our best when our workforce is as passionate as the communities in which we live and operate. 

Mr Batt also attends regular five-day training camps with the national team in Melbourne, which requires him to travel interstate from his home on the Sunshine Coast.  

Fortunately, Mr Batt explained, his manager is extremely supportive and works with him to ensure he meets his personal and professional commitments.  

“When representing Australia, I’m lucky to have a leader that is supportive of my schedule, especially in the lead up to major events and competitions. Not everyone has that,” he said. “Some employers might say ‘well you can’t be here, that’s too bad’. So, I’m very lucky in that sense.”  

Mr Batt uses several flexible work options to help balance his time between sport and work.  

“I mainly work from home and have done so for the past 11 years. I also usually work 30 hours a week from Monday to Thursday. If I have a five-day training camp coming up, I can use my leave," he said. 

When he's away competing or at training camps, his team has an effective system in place to cover his everyday tasks, which ensures they can run uninterrupted and that he can easily pick things back up when he returns.  

“Our team has a great system in place and my manager is creative with how she delegates,” he said. “I think that’s what makes a great team, when you can help each other out. 

The previous Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 were plagued by pandemic challenges. 

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were eventful for competitors and spectators for all the wrong reasons – it was interrupted by the global pandemic and delayed until 2021. 

At that time, Mr Batt was the Australian wheelchair rugby team Captain, and he remembered how nerve wracking those Games were, and how difficult it was to train as a team. 

“It was going to be the best Paralympic Games in Tokyo, and then COVID struck,” Mr Batt said. “It was quite hard to take. It was hard to find motivation to train and to keep going, knowing that the Games might not go ahead. 

“We were relieved when the Games went ahead (delayed by one year), but it was hard because Australia implemented tight COVID restrictions, meaning we couldn't train together as a team.  

“We couldn’t cross state barrier boundaries, let alone international travel for games.” 

Mr Batt believes the loss of team contact contributed to their fourth-place result in Tokyo. The team had won gold in the 2012 London Games, and gold again in the 2016 Rio Games, but unfortunately missed the hattrick in Tokyo. 

“We were the number one team in the world, the favourites, but unfortunately, due to not being together as a team in the lead up, we didn't get our third gold,” he said.  

The team hopes to claim gold medal ‘redemption’ in Paris this month, with just a few more training camps to go. 

Mr Batt and his Australian Steelers teammates are excited, and hungry for redemption at the 2024 Games in Paris. 

“It's an honour to represent your country, and we want redemption from Tokyo when we go into Paris,” he said. 

“We are the number one team in the world again, and we would love to show the world that we can win again.” 

Mr Batt and the team has a few more training camps before they head off to Paris on 21 August. The Paralympic Games are held two weeks after the Olympic Games finishes, from 28 August to 8 September, 2024.  

Mr Batt highly recommended checking out the Paralympic Games, and wheelchair rugby matches.  

“It's a sport that takes a little bit to get used to with the rules, but it's a very tactical, fast-paced, high intensity sport, and I can guarantee every game that happens in Paris will be absolute nailbiters,” he said.  

“People are blown away by what Paralympians can do. People need to look at their abilities and not their disabilities – the elite athletes behind the disabilities. 

“I'm excited to be able to represent Australia again, and when I return, continue to bring some of the skills I’ve learnt from the elite sporting world and growing up with a disability, into our world of Suncorp.”