Young Australians are being asked to take a shot at becoming an Australian Olympian or Paralympian at the Brisbane 2032 Games.
A nation-wide talent search kicks off next month in a bid to unearth the country’s future sporting talent.
Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Executive General Manager of Performance Matti Clements said the campaign aimed to maximise Australia’s chances of international success.
Ms Clements said the Future Green and Gold campaign would be Australia’s greatest talent search, designed to unearth the next generation of sporting champions and fast-track them to the elite level.
“This is the first time the high-performance sector has come together to deliver a talent search.”
She said the AIS had partnered with all state institutes, Paralympics Australia and more than 40 major sports including cycling, rugby, para canoe and para snow.
“The future stars will follow in the footsteps of hundreds of Australian Olympians and Paralympians who were discovered through talent programs such as Alyce Wood (kayaking), Jacob Clear (kayaking) Paige Greco (para cycling) and Ameera Lee (para archery).”
Ms Clements said more than a third of the 2024 Australian Paralympic team were found through talent searches.
“We have an ambitious goal to have the best Olympic and Paralympic team ever in Brisbane and to achieve this we need to significantly boost our current talent pool, in particular our para athletes” she said.
“Off the back of Australia’s success in Paris, this is the best time to leverage that passion and encourage eligible Australians to put their names forward.”
Ms Clements said the search would target Australians aged 13-23 (for Olympic sports) and 13 plus (for Paralympic sports), with no prior sporting experience required.
She said the opportunity would also be on offer to current athletes looking to transition to a different sport.
“Eligible participants will be invited to their closest clinic where their strengths and skills will be measured.
“Those who demonstrate potential will undertake a trial with a recommended sport before being offered a position within a Talent Development Program.”
Ms Clements said the campaign, which is aligned with the existing talent identification programs underway across the state institutes and academies, kicked off in Adelaide in early October.
To find out more and register visit the AIS website.
