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World Transplant Games, Bangkok - 2007

August 22, 2007

A team of Australians who have all been given a second chance at life will leave for Thailand this week to compete in the World Transplant Games. The athletes are part of a 112 strong contingent to participate in the 16^th World Transplant Games in Bangkok from August 25 to Sept 2, 2007.

The Thailand Games will be of particular interest to Australia as we are in fact hosting the next World Games on the Gold Coast in 2009, according to Transplant Australia CEO, Chris Thomas.

Approximately 1,500 transplant recipients, supporters and donor families will gather together in Bangkok for the games to be apart of the single biggest organ donation and transplantation awareness event in the world. The World Transplant Games are a biennial event and participants will compete in a variety of events ranging from cycling to petanque.

The principle objectives the World Transplant Games intend to achieve are:

• To raise awareness of the miracle of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
• To demonstrate through sport that transplant recipients are able to return to a high level of fitness and quality of life.

There are currently 1,700 people on the official organ and tissue transplant waiting list in Australia waiting for a heart, kidney, lung, liver, pancreas or corneal transplant. Of those waiting for a heart, lung or liver transplant, twenty percent will die before they receive one.

There are currently almost 8,000 people undergoing dialysis treatment in Australia. This number increases six percent each year. Only 1,500 make the official transplant waiting list for a kidney. Of those on the waiting list for a kidney the average wait is four years. It is considered futile to put the remaining 6,500 people on dialysis on the transplant waiting list as their chances of receiving a transplant would be very poor. There simply are not enough organ donors.

About Transplant Australia

Transplant Australia is an organisation representing transplant recipients, people currently undergoing dialysis treatment, those awaiting transplantation, donor families (including living donors) and medical professionals involved in organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

For further information please contact:

Denise Hurley, denise.hurley@transplant.org.au or 02 9922 5400