In a major milestone for Australian sport, the country’s peak Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sporting organisations have joined forces to launch a national strategy aimed at building success towards Brisbane 2032 and beyond.
Bringing their vision of success immediately to life, sporting leaders gathered in Sydney today and took a pledge to ‘Win Well’ – a foundation of the strategy and a new national commitment to balancing ambitious sporting goals with cultures that are safe, fair and supportive.
Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy represents the first time all peak bodies from across Australia’s Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports have united for a national high performance sport strategy. It includes Federal, State and Territory Institutes and Academies of Sport, peak Games bodies the Australian Olympic Committee, Paralympics Australia and Commonwealth Games and National Sporting Organisations.
Speaking as a representative for Australia’s High Performance Sport System that co-designed the strategy, Australian Sports Commission CEO Kieren Perkins OAM said it was a historic and significant step for Australian sport.
“This is one of the greatest periods of opportunity in Australian sporting history and teamwork can be our competitive advantage as we aim for 2032 and beyond,” Perkins said. “We all have unique roles to play, but we will all benefit by harnessing our collective strengths, talent and resources so we can deliver the best outcomes for our athletes, sports and for all of Australia. “No sporting team can unite and inspire us like our Aussie athletes. We have a Green and Gold Runway of major sporting events over the next decade to 2032 that gives our athletes and sports the ultimate platform to perform and connect all Australians with sport like never before.
“This strategy is the collective roadmap to guide our success. It prioritises how we will tackle areas including world-leading coaching and practices, athlete development pathways, performance environments, and an outstanding workforce driven by clear values and cultures. Our time starts now to build an inclusive and sustainable sporting system that is performance driven, athlete-focused, exceptionally led and purposefully collaborative.”
A key measure of success outlined within Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy is to position Australia for its best ever Olympic and Paralympic performances at the Brisbane 2032 Games. But the strategy ultimately sets out to build ongoing, sustainable success for Australian high performance sport, before and after Brisbane 2032.
That ambition is captured by the strategy’s vision: ‘We win well to inspire Australians’. As part of the strategy, sporting organisations signed up to a Win Well pledge and outlined their united commitment in a joint letter.
“Success in Australian sport will be to Win Well,” the joint letter states. “This is a balanced, holistic approach, supporting our athletes and people to win in all areas of life. It is about celebrating the humanity of Australian sport, valuing physical, mental, emotional and cultural wellbeing. It is maintaining the ambition for success, but always marked with humility, integrity, fair play and Aussie grit.
“To Win Well will be a key to sustainable success, unlocking the full potential in our people and our sporting system.”
Leading athletes welcomed the united approach to the Strategy and Win Well:
Olympic gold medal paddler Jess Fox said: “I really connect with the vision Win Well. We need to be well-rounded people - physically, mentally, emotionally - in order to best perform and reach our potential. When I think about what success looks like to me, yes it might include the colour gold, but mostly it’s a feeling. It’s that pride and satisfaction that I’ve done the best I could that day in striving for excellence, and it’s gratitude and connection with those who shared the journey to get there.”
Olympic gold medal swimmer Cate Campbell said: “For an athlete to perform at their best, they need a successful team behind them. A team with a single vision and focus. It’s great to see this strategy actively engaging with all stakeholders involved in an athletes' development, training and wellbeing. I love the Win Well concept. I believe that taking into account an athlete’s wellbeing - both physically and mentally - will not only produce better athletes but will translate into better results as well. Athletes compete at their best when they know someone has their back.”
Paralympic gold medal cyclist Emily Petricola said: The team behind the athlete is what ultimately determines performance. If you have confidence that those guiding your journey are all aligned and on the same page as to where you are at and where you are going, you are far more likely to get there! The Strategy will help boost performance as it is ultimately a framework that supports every athlete being the best they can be.”
Commonwealth Games gold medal boxer Harry Garside said: “As a country we want to show up on the world stage as one united force, because it’s so much better when we’re all together and all focused on the same mission.”
A full copy of Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy and more Win Well material, including testimonials from sport leaders, athletes and coaches, is available at winwell2032.au
