26 Nov 2008

‘I met heaps of kids from different schools, we played cricket, hockey and netball’ said one student from Malek Fahd Islamic School. He was wearing a bright red t-shirt with ‘Harmony Games’ imprinted on the front.

He was standing with a group of students all wearing the same colour, among a crowd of 800 kids — all playing sports, all wearing a variety of brightly coloured t-shirts — at the Australian Sports Commission’s (ASC’s) 2008 Harmony Games and Expo.

The Games are part of the ASC’s All Australian Sporting Initiative, which aims to foster social inclusion among students from diverse backgrounds.

The day before the Games, each of the 21 participating schools received a huge bag filled with different coloured t-shirts. They turned up to the event and joined together in teams with all the other students wearing the same colour t-shirts — a simple way to unite and combine students from different schools, cultures, religions and backgrounds.

Olympian Melissa Wu and ASC Board member Liz Ellis joined Jason Clare MP, Member for Blaxland, to officially open the Harmony Games on 20 November.

‘Sport and physical activity cross all boundaries and are an ideal way to promote social inclusion,’ said Mr Clare. ‘The All Australian Sporting Initiative is a project that has not only had a big impact on the children in this area, but also on the community as a whole.

‘Thanks to the ASC local people have been trained as coaches and we now have a community working together to get our young people active in an inclusive environment that promotes friendship, tolerance and respect.’

Melissa said she was delighted to take part in the Harmony Games and encouraged all Australians to get involved in sport in their community. ‘Sport is really for everyone, no matter what your age or background. It’s really about having a go, doing the best you can, having fun and making friends.’

Key Harmony Games partners
• Australian Sports Commission
• Department of Immigration and Citizenship
• Department Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
• Department of Health
• Bankstown City Council
• Erebus International
• MTC Work Solutions
• Mission Australia
• Youth off the Streets
• NSW Police Force
• NSW Fire Brigade