In 2020, the AIS Community Events Program was developed to provide opportunities for elite athletes to engage and contribute to communities leveraging key dates and community causes on the calendar.

The program has partnered with a number of not-for-profit organisations to further assist in the promotion and awareness around key dates in the year.

Clean Up Australia Day

Schools Clean Up Day – Friday 28 February 2020 Business Clean Up Day – Tuesday 25 February 2020 Clean Up Australia Day – Sunday 1 March 2020

Clean Up Australia (CUA) Day is held annually on the first Sunday of March and encourages people to clean up, fix up and conserve their local areas.

With many athletes training and competing in the outdoors and waterways, Clean Up Australia Day is an opportunity for Australia’s sporting heroes to support the clean-up of their local sporting fields and complexes.

Schools Clean Up is another opportunity for athletes to engage with their old primary schools and encourage the next generation to care for the planet. Additionally, athletes who work in an office environment may be interested in lending their support to Business Clean Up.

Participation

National Sporting Organisations:

Swimming Australia, Diving Australia, Hockey Australia, Water Polo Australia

AIS Ambassadors:

• Kareena Lee (Swimming Australia) @ Mountain Creek State School Clean Up event, Sunshine Coast, QLD.
• Aidan Roach, Blake Edwards (Water Polo Australia) and Sam Fricker (Diving Australia) @ Canada Bay Run Clean Up event, Sydney, NSW.
• Shixin Li (Diving Australia) @ Clean Up community event, Adelaide, SA.
• Flynn Ogilvie (Hockey Australia) @ Matagarup (Heirisson Island) Clean Up event, Perth, WA.
• Matt Swann (Hockey Australia) @ Clean Up event, Busselton/ Dunsborough Lakes, WA.

Media coverage highlights

Australian Institute of Sport:

Tokyo Olympic hopefuls give up their time to support Clean Up Australia Day 30th anniversary

Other:

• Fox Sports Tonight — One-on-one interview with Sam Fricker.
• National news bulletins on SBS News, Channel 9, WIN and ABC regional television.
• Channel 7 News — Coverage in NSW and syndicated content across Queensland (local channels in Gold Coast, Brisbane, Central Queensland, Sunshine Coast, Mackay, Cairns, Townsville, Toowoomba, Wide Bay), also appearing on digital channels.
• Australasian Leisure Management article
• Swimmer’s Daily article

“I loved it and want to be a part of this every year if possible, such a great thing to help the environment and to encourage the younger generation to understand the impacts we have.”

Sam Fricker, Diving Australia

ANZAC Day

Saturday 25 April 2020

AIS participated in the campaign initiated by RSL Queensland under the hashtags #ANZACspirit, #DrivewayAtDawn and #LightUpTheDawn, encouraging people to stand at the end of their driveway on 25 April at dawn, holding a candle and observing a minute of silence.

Participation

National Sporting Organisations:

Archery Australia, Paddle Australia, Gymnastics Australia, Olympic Winter Institute of Australia

AIS Ambassadors:

• Astin Darcy (Archery Australia)
• Eva Kierath (Gymnastics Australia)
• Adam Lambert (Olympic Winter Institute of Australia)
• Garry Robinson (Archery Australia)
• Alyce Wood (Paddle Australia)

Campaign assets and activity

Australian Institute of Sport:

Australian athletes come together to commemorate ANZAC Day

Other:

• 5 x Ambassador video clips produced
• 1 x 2 minute overall campaign video clip produced
• 51 athletes from 11 NSOs provided a photo of themselves taken while marking ANZAC Day at dawn.
• A 90-sec video was produced including 21 of the athletes for publication on NSO and AIS channels.

Media interviews facilitated during the event included:

• Adam Lambert — Canberra Times
• Astin Darcy — Canberra Times
• Eva Kierath — The West Australian

“Many thanks to #theAIS for putting together these moments of Aussie athletes as an example. It is great to be involved in this project as I have gained significantly more perspective on the extent of dedication and sacrifice required to serve in recent years, with two brothers in the Army.”

Eva Kierath, Gymnastics

National Volunteers Week

18-24 May 2020

National Volunteer Week is the annual celebration organised by Volunteering Australia to acknowledge the contribution offered by more than six million Australians who volunteer their time to help our communities across the country.

This year’s theme is ‘Changing Communities. Changing Lives’ and athletes are coming together as part of an AIS campaign to say #thankyou to the volunteer coaches, officials, administrators, team managers and the many others that are essential to Australian sport.

Participation

National Sporting Organisations:

Netball Australia, Swimming Australia, Gymnastics Australia, Bowls Australia, Snow Australia, Shooting Australia

AIS Ambassadors:

• Courtney Bruce (Netball Australia)
• Lynsey Clarke (Bowls Australia)
• Taylor McKeown (Swimming Australia)
• Kipp Smith (Gymnastics Australia)
• Sam Tait (Snow Australia)

Other:

• 78 athletes from 12 National Sporting Organisations registered
• 65 athletes returned a #thankyou image for the campaign
• Ellie Cole (Swimming Australia) featured in the Volunteering Australia, National Volunteer Week Changing Communities, Changing Lives video contributing to the “wave of appreciation” for all Australian volunteers.
• The AIS, Athletes and NSO’s shared the campaign through their own social media channels.

Media coverage highlights

Australian Institute of Sport:

Athletes give thanks to those ‘Changing Communities. Changing Lives’

Insights:

• AIS Overall reach — 74.8k
• AIS Overall impressions — 31.3k
• Shooting Aus — 1.9k reach, 95 views
• Bowls Aus — 14k reach, 930 engagements, 5.7k views
• Gymnastics Aus — 9.5k reach, 2.8k views
• Swimming Aus — 13.6k reach, 313 engagements
• Snow Aus — 2.1k reach, 61 engagements

Other media:

• Gold Coast Bulletin — 22 May 2020
• Ministry of Sport — 19 May 2020
• 88.6 Plenty Valley FM (Victoria),
• Kipp Smith interviewed — 22 May 2020.

Assets:

• Branded #thankyou signs
• 90 second #thankyou video clip
• 4 x #thankyou video clips co-branded with Bowls Australia, Gymnastics Australia, Shooting Australia and Swimming Australia.

National Tree Day

Sunday 2 August 2020

Despite National Tree Day not being marked by public events for the first time in 25 years, Australian athletes have thrown their support behind Planet Ark’s call to find creative ways to get involved and support our land and people’s recovery from environmental and psychological trauma.

The AIS invites everyone to show their support during National Tree Day to get involved by joining the #HugATreeForNTD campaign online and share their commitment to connect with nature and support regeneration

Participation

National Sporting Organisations:

Archery Australia, Athletics Australia, Wheelchair Basketball Australia, Bowls Australia, Water Polo Australia

Media coverage highlights

Australian Institute of Sport:

Aussie athletes getting back to nature for national tree day

Daffodil Day

Friday 28 August 2020

This August Australian elite athletes and coaches will share their personal stories and encourage people to donate a virtual daffodil in support of Cancer Council’s Daffodil Day Appeal, the annual fundraising campaign which culminates in Daffodil Day on 28 August 2020.

Participation

National Sporting Organisations:

Athletics Australia, Wheelchair Basketball Australia, Paddle Australia, Shooting Australia, Swimming Australia, Water Polo Australia

Media coverage highlights

Australian Institute of Sport:

Australian elite athletes come together to support Daffodil Day Appeal

RUOK? Day

Thursday 10 September 2020

Sport is at the centre of many communities across Australia and this R U OK?Day, Thursday 10 September, coaches and athletes are encouraging everyone involved in sport from high performance to grassroots level to check in with one another, and ask R U OK? If someone says they’re not OK, make time to listen, encourage action and check in. That conversation could change, or even save, their life.

Want to know how you can share a conversation? Check out all the tips at ruok.org.au, opens in a new tab.

The Hey Sport, R U OK? resources are free and can be downloaded at www.ruok.org.au/sport, opens in a new tab.

Do you or someone you know need help now? Call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

If you are part of the Australian high performance network, you can also find support through the AIS Mental Health Referral Network

Participation

National Sporting Organisations:

Athletics Australia, Australian Paralympic Committee - Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Basketball Australia, Diving Australia, Gymnastics Australia, Paddle Australia, Swimming Australia

Media coverage highlights

Australian Institute of Sport:

Aussie coaches and athletes checking in for R U OK?Day

Remembrance Day

Wednesday 11 November 2020

As the country stops to mark Remembrance Day, elite Australian athletes also unite to commemorate the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to their country, those who returned home wounded and those who bravely serve today.

For many of them, the commemoration is also an opportunity to take stock of the contribution they make every day as they actively participate in veteran health’s programs developed by their National Sport Organisations, in conjunction with support organisations such as Veteran Sports Australia (VSA).

VSA is a member of the RSL family and was established as the primary legacy organisation of the Invictus Games Sydney 2018.

Participation

Organisations:

Bowls Australia, Athletics Australia, Gymnastics Australia, Rowing Australia, Veteran Sport Australia, University of the Sunshine Coast, NSW Institute of Sport, Queensland Academy of Sport, Paralympics Australia.

Media coverage highlights

Australian Institute of Sport:

Remembrance Day 2020, opens in a new tab

2021 events

AIS is proud to announce that in 2021 we will be supporting the following community events in 2021:

• Clean Up Australia Day – 5 March (Schools) and 7 March (Community) 2021
• National Volunteers Week – 17 to 23 March 2021
• International Day of People with Disability – 3 December 2021

For more information

For further information about this program or opportunities to be involved in 2021 please contact athleteappearances@ausport.gov.au