Australian sport All In for Connection to Country

Australia’s High Performance Sport System is marking National Reconciliation Week 2026 by going All In for reconciliation and Connection to Country.

This year’s theme, All In, calls on all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every day. For sport, that means continuing to build high performance environments that are culturally safe, connected and inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, cultures, histories and communities.

Since 2021, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Olympic Committee, Paralympics Australia, Commonwealth Games Australia and the National Institute Network (NIN) have come together to issue a collective statement outlining a shared commitment to advancing reconciliation.

The work is guided by the Win Well Strategy’s Connection to Country Action Plan, which calls on high performance sport organisations to build stronger relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and embed cultural safety across the places where athletes train, compete and belong.

The Action Plan is built around five areas: acknowledging Custodians, honouring the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander athletes, coaches, staff and leaders, educating everyone, creating opportunities, and leading reconciliation.

Those priorities are being brought to life through Connection to Country Officers, who are embedded across the NIN to strengthen cultural capability, deepen relationships with community, support First Nations athletes and help create more culturally safe high performance environments.

The joint statement shares a snapshot of this work across the country, from the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) embedding Whadjuk Noongar language and Noongar seasonal knowledge into operations, to the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) creating talent identification opportunities for First Nations athletes.

To learn more about the NRW Joint Statements, visit the ASC website here www.ausport.gov.au/ais/national-reconciliation-week-nrw-joint-statement