Aussie troops aim for gold

Australian troops injured on the job will soon be encouraged to become elite athletes.

The Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) has teamed up with Defence to provide new opportunities for wounded diggers.

APC president Greg Hartung and head of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston launched the ADF Paralympic Sports Programme in Canberra on Wednesday.

"Both Australian Paralympians and members of the Australian Defence Force strive to do the best job possible and be the best they can be under the Australian flag," Mr Hartung said.

"We hope that ... this partnership is able to produce some world class athletes, as well as help ADF members who have acquired a disability to rehabilitate and move on with their lives."

News of the programme comes a day after the federal government released their response to the Crawford review of Australian sports funding in the 2010/11 budget.

Disabled athletes weren't forgotten, with A$16 million dedicated to the APC's high performance programmes and to support the broadcast of their 2012 Paralympic Games.

Mr Hartung said only 3.8 per cent of commonwealth sports funding went to Paralympic pursuits, so the latest budget expenditure was a welcome investment in the area.

"(It) will keep our Paralympic athletes in the game, and competitive with our position in Beijing in 2008," he said.

"Importantly, it removes the real concern that we might have needed to significantly scale back programmes and cut positions, including coaches."

Labor doled out A$324.8 million to sport over four years on Tuesday, including funding to extend the life of existing programmes and a record A$195.2 million in new money.

Elite sport will get about two-thirds of the cash, with the rest going to initiatives such as community coaching and training.

Cycling Australia chief executive Graham Fredericks said investment in both areas was crucial.

"Over the past decade, cycling in Australia has continued to grow in popularity and participation," he said.

"The challenge for Cycling Australia is to cater to that increase and to do so we need more volunteers, coaches and officials."

- AAP