With 50 days to go until the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics and 79 to the Paralympics, the Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable Kevin Rudd MP,  farewelled Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) athletes who will take part in the Games at a Chinese inspired event.

The Australian Olympic team will consist of around 440 athletes, almost 200 of whom are expected to be current or former AIS athletes. At this stage, 35 athletes have been named on the Australian Paralympic Team, of whom 24 are current or former AIS athletes.

The Minister for Youth and Sport, the Honourable Kate Ellis MP, said that Australians respected the dedication and the contribution that our athletes had already made in representing their country.

‘The pinnacle of so many careers is fast approaching,’ she said, ‘and the nation shares their sense of rising excitement and anticipation. We wish them all the very best for Beijing.’

‘The Government has provided almost $216 million to the Australian Sports Commission this year,’ Ms Ellis said. ‘Around $142 million of this is spent on achieving excellence in sports performance, with $73.2 million invested in national sporting organisations to provide clear pathways from community sport through to high performance sport development.

‘There are programs for women in sport, Indigenous sport and sport for people with disability, and there are currently more than 150 000 children playing sport, games and activities in the Active After-school Communities program.’

Minister Ellis said that the ASC’s National Talent Identification and Development program had done a good job of scouring the country, through recruitment drives and testing sessions, to find and develop our best athletes across 17 Olympic sports.

‘Our athletes in Beijing will also benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a dedicated team of coaches and scientists, including some 60 coaches and sports science staff from the AIS, and we acknowledge their vital contribution to the performance of our athletes,’ she said.