With Brisbane 2032 on the horizon, preparing athletes for the unique experience of a home event is top of mind for many Australian coaches.
This focus shaped the reflections at the Australian Institute of Sport’s (AIS) Coach Summit, which brought together 20 head coaches from 15 sports to connect and share learnings from recent international events, including those hosted in Australia.
The annual two-day gathering is designed to strengthen Australia’s coaching capability through cross-sport learning, expert guidance and discussions about what it takes to help athletes thrive on the runway to 2032 and beyond.
Drawing on her experience coaching at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Sydney, Olympic medallist and coach Myriam Fox said home events bring plenty of excitement but can also add to the pressure on athletes.
“It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to race at home and showcase our sport, our venue and our athletes on the world stage, but it’s also a lot of responsibility to ensure the athlete is not distracted by everything that comes with it,” she said.
Having been part of the program since it began in 2022, Fox believes programs like the AIS Coach Summit Program have great benefits for the system as a whole.
“It’s almost an advantage to have this collaboration between different sports because once we open our eyes to what others are doing, we realise we speak the same language.”
Triple Olympian and Beach Volleyball coach Andrew Schacht also shared advice following his experience at the 2025 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide.
“Don't shy away from how important it is for the players, the coaches, and the programs to do well. People get a little bit spooked around events, so make sure you have those conversations early and keep going there,” he said.
New to the program this year, Schacht said learning from other coaches who are navigating similar experiences has been invaluable.
“I'm really thankful for meeting all these great coaches,” he said.
“Getting like-minded people together and talking about sport and all the ups and downs, I think, is going to play a huge part in preparing for Brisbane, and I can't advocate for it highly enough.”
Find out more about the AIS Coach Summit program, an initiative of the Win Well strategy.
