Australia’s elite athletes are in high demand as mental health advocates in the nation’s schools.
Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Performance Executive General Manager Matti Clements said the AIS’s Mental Fitness Program, a joint venture with the Black Dog Institute, had seen participation numbers increase by almost 200 percent since launching six years ago.
Ms Clements said last year more than 20,000 students sat down with some of the nations’ top athletes to learn about their personal battles and stories of resilience.
“When an athlete who is often viewed as invincible shows vulnerability it captures people’s attention,” she said.
“These athletes are helping send an important message that it’s courageous to speak up and seek help.”
Ms Clements said this year’s program has appointed 25 national athletes as ambassadors, including Paralympic gold medallist Paige Greco (para-cycling), Australian Diamonds player Amy Parmenter and 2024 Olympic stars Hayley Verbunt (rowing) Rhiannan Brown (sailing) and Yale Steinepreis (kayaking).
Two-time Olympic rower Giorgia Patten said she was eager to show that no one was immune to mental health challenges.
“I remember growing up and watching the Olympics on TV and thinking those athletes seemed to be bulletproof or superhuman. We aren’t, we are regular people that can struggle through challenging periods of mental health,” Ms Patten said.
Ms Clements said research from the Black Dog Institute showed more than 75 percent of mental health issues developed before the age of 25, highlighting the significance of tackling the subject from an early age.
She said over the next 12 months the athletes would visit high schools and sports clubs across the country to share evidence-based strategies on how to keep mentally fit.
Schools can book a free session via the AIS website.
2025 AIS Mental Fitness Program ambassadors:
- Abbey Willcox, Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, Brisbane.
- Aiden Frick, Gymnastics Australia, Brisbane.
- Ameera Lee, Archery Australia, Sydney.
- Amelia Weber, Swimming Australia, Brisbane.
- Amy Parmenter, Netball Australia, Melbourne.
- Anastasia Typou, Australian Taekwondo, Melbourne.
- Anna Cripsey, Australian Sailing, Melbourne.
- Christopher McHugh, Volleyball Australia, Adelaide.
- Dom Frederico, Rowing Australia, Melbourne.
- Ellen Roberts, Softball Australia, Sydney.
- Elly Bayes, Gymnastics Australia, Geelong.
- Giorgia Patten, Rowing Australia, Perth.
- Hayley Verbunt, Rowing Australia, Melbourne.
- Maddy Turner, Netball Australia, Sydney.
- Paige Greco, AusCycling, Brisbane.
- Rebecca Henderson, Australian Athletics, Melbourne.
- Rhiannan Brown, Australian Sailing, Tascott, NSW.
- Samantha Costin, Australian Sailing, Brisbane.
- Samantha Gaul, Snow Australia, Canberra.
- Sarah Dally, AusCycling, Adelaide.
- Solomon Bushby, Volleyball Australia, Adelaide.
- Sophie Jackson, Australian Sailing, Perth.
- Sophie Watts, AusCycling, Brisbane.
- Yale Steinepreis, Paddle Australia, Gold Coast.
- Zane Branco, Australian Athletics, Sydney.
