Erdem was a member of the Australian team which successfully defended their Paralympic Games gold medal at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The Turkish-born player also claimed two Paralympic silver medals and one world title during his success-laden career.

Erdem, a 0.5 classification player, made a total of 312 international appearances for Australia.

He has decided to call time on his career to focus on his role with the Australian Quadriplegic Association.

Erdem said he hopes to be able to mentor players on the Australian team prior to future editions of the Paralympic Games.

"I’ve learnt about working in a team environment and having to lean on each other - it takes commitment and sacrifice,” Erdem, who made his debut back in 1998, said.

“My experience has turned me into a leader and a mentor, and I grew to motivate the other players.

“It was just timing, the timing is right. 

"There are a lot of new guys on the team and I wanted to give them a chance to develop.”

Australian head coach Brad Dubberley said he hoped Erdem would be given a role within the sport in retirement.

"As a teammate and athlete, and now as his coach I’ve seen him grow over the years into a big player," Dubberley, who played on the same team as Erdem at the 2000 and 2004 Paralympic Games in Sydney and Athens respectively, said.

"The Paralympic golds in London and Rio were big and he was always a big-time contributor.

“He’s a part of our family and we want him to continue to play a role with us because he has a lot of experience and things to share.”