What an amazing experience the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were in London.  Being able to attend a number of events, it was inspiring to watch our athletes take on the world and represent their country with pride. While Australia’s overall performance was below our predictions, we should not overlook the achievements by our athletes at these Games.  We are proud of their efforts and there are signs that we have a promising platform to build upon for Rio.

Personal highlights in London included watching Jessica Fox win her silver medal in the women’s K1 canoe slalom event, Sally Pearson fulfil the pre-Olympic expectations to win gold in the 100-metre hurdles and Evan O’Hanlon taking out the 100 and 200 metre sprint double (T38 class), both in world record times.

As we are all aware, international sport is extremely competitive and this is reflected at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.  With Australia finishing tenth overall on the Olympic medal table, we now find ourselves in a highly competitive category where one or two results can have a big impact on a nation’s overall position. The challenge ahead for us is how we respond and bounce back in Rio 2016 and beyond.

In terms of the Paralympics, Australia had a tremendous games coming home with our best result in gold medals since Sydney 2000. A total haul of 85 medals is a fantastic result and is a great credit to the athletes, coaches and support staff with their preparation, attention to detail and commitment to delivering results on the world stage.

The planning and preparation for 2016 is already underway with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) working closely with the National Institute Network and National Sporting Organisations in preparation for the Annual Sports Review Process.  The ASC will also be working with a number of sports as part of their post Games review and analysis.

A key development will be planning the way forward for the Australian Institute of Sport with its role and positioning to lead and grow the high performance sector.  In coming months, the ASC will be outlining the direction for high performance in Australia, including priorities and goals for major international competitions.

In other news, the annual ASC Media Awards will be hosted in Sydney, 6 December 2012. These awards acknowledge excellence in sports media across 14 categories, from national broadcast and print media, as well as journalism in rural, regional and suburban areas. Planning is also well underway for Our Sporting Future conference to be held in April 2013. This forum will focus on generating ideas and providing practical information to build a stronger Australian sports system. Registrations for the conference open this month and more information is available at ausport.gov.au.

Matt Favier
Director
Australian Institute of Sport