Basketballer Patrick Mills and hockey player Desmond Abbott are among the talented Indigenous athletes who made an impact for Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The talented point guard Mills is a member of the Australian Boomers Men’s Basketball Squad and young gun Abbott is a bronze medallist in the Australian Kookaburras Men’s Hockey team who delivered impressive performances at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Both Indigenous athletes have benefited from funding and support through the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and its elite arm, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

The ASC is committed to creating opportunities for more Indigenous people to play organised sport and to get physically active. This includes creating pathways to identify and develop Indigenous athletic talent.

Mark Peters, CEO of the ASC, said it is great to see talented Indigenous athletes coming through the ranks, stepping up and performing well for Australia.

‘The Commission is working hard to ensure that Indigenous athletes get every chance to excel and to achieve their best at the London 2012 Olympics and beyond.

‘Indigenous athletes have a rich and proud history of representing Australia at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, and make a significant contribution to the growth and success of Australian sport.

‘A vital role is also played by Indigenous people as coaches, officials, managers and trainers across many levels of Australian sport, boosting participation rates and physical activity within their communities.’

Mr Peters said the ASC, through its Indigenous Sport Program (ISP), remains committed to improving the access and opportunities for Indigenous Australians to participate in organised sport and physical activity.

ASC sporting opportunities for Indigenous people include the National Talent Identification and Development program, the Active After-school Communities program, Sport Leadership Grants for Women, the Sports Ability program for Indigenous Australians with a disability, a range of traditional Indigenous games resources and specific cross-cultural awareness training packages.

The Elite Indigenous Travel and Accommodation Assistance Program is providing funding and support to sportspeople such as Mills to gain experience in competition at the elite level.

The ISP, through its network, works closely with the ASC’s National Talent Identification and Development program to find and develop the next generation of Australia’s best Indigenous athletes across a number of sports including boxing, track and field, and hockey.

The ASC will also continue to work closely with a number of national sporting organisations to encourage a more active role in increasing participation, infrastructure and skill development in Indigenous communities.