A message from the Chair of the Australian Sports Commission – Josephine Sukkar AM

It has been an eye-opening and busy first two months in my role as Chair of the Australian Sports Commission and I would like to thank everyone who has made contact in that time. Australian sport is an amazingly complex and powerful machine which is fueled by thousands of incredibly hard-working people across the country, and I look forward to engaging with many more of you, listening to your stories and sharing our plans with you over the coming months.

I wanted to take this opportunity for those with whom I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting in my short time in the role to provide some background on my journey in sport and what inspired me to take on this important role, as well as the opportunities I see for Australian sport in the short and long term.

Like many Australians, I have been part of a sporting community that has shaped me in ways I could never have imagined. Personally, I owe an enormous debt to rugby union, and in particular the Club that I see myself as part of. I arrived as the partner of a player, became a sponsor, then an advocate for the participation of women. Without realising it, I continued to evolve personally and professionally through the direct and the indirect involvement with rugby union. The people I met, the mentoring and role modelling I received, the opportunities that were created for me, have all been instrumental in developing me and those around me. I raised my children on the sideline of Sydney University Number 1 Oval. Entertained clients and friends there. Looked up to, became friends with and grew from my involvement with the people in this community, and all the wonderful moments and opportunities that came with it.

I am committed to ensuring that every Australian who wants to be part of a sports community, in any role they see fit to participate, enjoys the extraordinary benefits and grows as a result of their engagement with the sport of their choice. The way I have. And I would argue that my appointment to this role, is in part as a result of what began in 1985, back at a Club I had never heard of until then…

I am passionate in my belief in sport’s unrivalled ability to unite, inspire, and build healthier, stronger communities. My aim is to understand how to best communicate what those of us involved in sport know to be true - the endless benefits of sport and physical activity.

2020 was a year like no other, and while it has required an incredible resilience to get to this point, we will continue to be challenged in 2021 and beyond as we emerge from the pandemic. However, we know sport will play a crucial role in the nation’s rebuilding efforts, which presents us with great opportunities as well.

There is already so much to look forward to. Nothing inspires and invokes our Aussie pride like an Olympic and Paralympic Games, and with less than 100 days to go until Tokyo that sense of anticipation is building for an event that will truly lift the energy and spirits of people right across the globe.

The announcement earlier this year of the IOC’s recommendation of South-East Queensland as its preferred bid candidate for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games has provided another significant boost.

Between Tokyo and what we all hope will be confirmation of a successful Brisbane bid, some of the world’s biggest sporting events will converge on our shores, presenting more wonderful opportunities for Australian sport to thrive and capture the imagination of young boys and girls across the country over the next decade and beyond.

We’ll never forget the astonishing scenes when the Australian Women’s cricket team claimed the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Melbourne last year, and our Men’s team will have their chance to replicate that feat when they host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2022. Next year Australia will also host the FIBA Women’s World Cup of Basketball, then in 2023, the FIFA Women’s World Cup. 2027 presents another golden opportunity, with our bid to bring the Rugby World Cup back to Australia for the first time since 2003. And this is just to name a handful of the world class sport on offer in the coming years on top of our local, state and national competitions.

We are proud to support sport at all levels throughout the country, on behalf of the Australian Government. While we support our athletes competing at the pinnacle of world competition, we will continue to focus on nurturing and developing sport at the community level.

I am a firm believer that the sporting pyramid needs to be built on a strong base. When we can grow the grassroots of sport by focusing on our participants and volunteers and get that formula right, our high performance programs ultimately flourish.

This is a pivotal time for our sector but out of the recent uncertainty comes an opportunity to refocus our goals and consider the role that each of us can play in rebuilding a stronger, leaner and healthier sports industry.

I look forward to working alongside each of you to tackle this challenge together.

Josephine Sukkar AM