A squad of nine talented Indigenous track and field athletes from across Australia recently competed in a Beijing test event in the lead up to the 2008 Olympic Games, which begin on 8 August.

The squad is part of the Australian Sports Commission’s (ASC’s) Jump Start to London Olympics 2012 program, which is a joint partnership between the ASC’s National Talent Identification and Development (NTID) program and Athletics Australia.

Speaking at the Beijing test event, Development Manager for Athletics Australia, Sally McGrady, said the key aim of the ASC’s NTID program is to find and develop Indigenous athletes for the London 2012 Olympics and provide them with valuable experience in elite competition.

‘Talented Indigenous athletes have been given the chance to gain experience at the elite level of competition in this impressive world-class Olympic facility, which will stand them in good stead for the future,’ McGrady said.

‘They also got to watch and learn from more experienced Indigenous athletes such as Patrick Johnson and Joshua Ross, who also competed in the Beijing test event.’

Indigenous athletes from across Australia are provided with special coaching support, mentoring and experience through the Jump Start program to compete in events such as the Arafura Games in Darwin, the Oceania Championships in Saipan the Singapore Open Championships, the New Zealand National Championships and now the Beijing test event.

These young Indigenous athletes look up to inspiring Aboriginal role models such as Olympian Kyle Vander-Kuyp, who is playing a guiding role in mentoring the squad.

Vander-Kuyp, who competed in the 110-metre hurdles at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympics, knows all about the demands and pressures of elite competition and is keen to impart advice and support for aspiring Indigenous athletes to follow.

‘Indigenous athletes will be given every chance through the NTID to perform their best and to experience competition in trial runs and hit outs such as the Beijing test event,’ Vander-Kuyp said.

The Australian Sports Commission’s wider NTID program is testing and developing hundreds of potential Indigenous athletes in a range of sports including hockey, basketball and softball.

The Jump Start to London 2012 squad includes Otis Gowa, Joshua Ah Wong, Justin Evans, Peter Harrison, Ray Williams, Laura Whaler, Rodney Blair, Liam Gander, Aiden Jeanes, Benn Harradine, Jess Carmody, Peter Tuccandidgee and Angelinje Blackburn.