Paralympics New Zealand awards Paralympian Roly Crichton with the PNZ Order of Merit

At the PNZ Annual General Meeting held in Auckland on 30 September 2015, Paralympics New Zealand Members voted unanimously to award Roly Crichton with the Paralympics New Zealand Order of Merit in acknowledgement of his remarkable service to Paralympic Sport in New Zealand.

Roly has given over 40 years of service and dedication to Paralympic Sport, representing New Zealand at four Paralympic Games, two as an athlete and two as a swimming coach.

Competing for New Zealand in Para-Swimming at the Stoke Mandeville 1984 Paralympic Games and Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games, Roly was one of New Zealand’s first disabled athletes to be fully integrated into an able-bodied training system and was one of the few at that time to be focused fully on a single sport.

His achievements as an athlete include six Paralympic medals across two Paralympic Games.

Stoke Mandeville 1984 Paralympic Games

• Gold – Men’s 50m Freestyle – Class 2
• Silver – Men’s 200m Freestyle – Class 2
• Silver – Men’s 25m Freestyle – Class 2
• Bronze – Men’s 4x25m Individual Medley

Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games

• Silver – Men’s 200m Freestyle – Class 2
• Bronze – Men’s 50m Freestyle – Class 2

Whilst best known as the coach of Paralympian and 10-time Paralympic medallist, Sophie Pascoe, his work coaching Para-Swimmers dates back nearly 20 years.

Established in 2001, Order of Merit Members may be conferred upon any person to whom PNZ specially desires to show its appreciation for valued services rendered to PNZ, and conferred only at the Annual General Meeting. This nomination was submitted by Parafed Canterbury.

Full list of PNZ Order of Merit Members can be found at PNZ Order of Merit.