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The Matt Caroll interview THE JOURNAL OF SPORT, LEISURE & RISK WITH AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE November 2021

We are guests in another country and supported so we can drive participation happen, the Review and National Sports many of our athletes
our Olympic Team always respects that at the same time as driving high Plan will simply be documents gathering who are likely to
hospitality. We understand the facilities performance. It is a virtuous circle – dust on a shelf.
across the three competition zones are participation, pathways, performance. represent us at the
outstanding, so our athletes are looking Each drives the other. The ten year We now have a golden opportunity with Brisbane Games in
forward to competing in that environment. runway to 2032 is a once in a generation the ten year runway into the Brisbane 2032 11 short years are in
opportunity for Olympic sports. Olympic Games to address this. There’s
Q. Given its comparatively a further opportunity to supercharge secondary school
small population Australia Q. What are the big issues Australian sport for that ten years and the right now, this must
decade beyond 2032.
has achieved a high level facing the Australian sports be a concern. What
of success in sport on the industry now and in the We have called our submission Sport: do you feel needs to
World stage. What are the immediate future? Powering Australia’s Future (10+10) for be done?
main factors fuelling this that reason. A. There’s no question that

success and can this level of A. Investment. Sport has such an Sport portfolios within government should the issues we have been
enormous role to play in Australia’s future
achievement be sustained and addressing Australia’s challenges. not be isolated. For sport to fulfil its role, speaking about such as obesity
until 2032 and beyond? For all our sporting success, Australia sport portfolios need to be talking more are connected with the decline
has an obesity crisis. There are a range of broadly to health, education, environment, in physical activity with young
wellbeing and mental health challenges. foreign affairs and trade. We need to people. The impact of other
A. While we are a sports loving nation unleash the power of sport, but it needs,
and we have a climate that fuels that We need to address a range of issues in like any industry, appropriate investment. forms of entertainment with young people
great passion of ours, success doesn’t just our Indigenous communities. on screens are issues that all parents and
happen. The success has been achieved Talk to our member sports and beyond educators are well aware of. Schools once
through the hard work of the sports, their Sport contributes to social cohesion. the need for their own funding certainty, played a significant role in keeping children
athletes and investment by governments We are a migrant nation and we need to they’ve identified a range of barriers to active.
through institutes. But other nations move forward together. The AOC and success including access to quality human
are also investing and those with larger Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) resources, access to quality competitions, Ad campaigns can be hit and miss. They
populations have a deeper talent pool. have made a joint submission to the infrastructure, athlete support and talent come and go and frankly nothing has made
Australia is one of the most competitive Federal Government Intergenerational identification. Particularly for second and much of a difference at all in recent years.
sports markets in the world so the Review which outlines the role sport can third tier sports, the problem becomes
competition for athletes is immense, so play in addressing these issues. Between more pronounced. The AOC has been running a program in
we need to ensure we have the quality of our two organisations we have 13 million schools called Olympic Unleashed that
coaching, sports science and create the participants in our member sports. Q. There appears to be a impresses on those young people the
right pathways. benefits of goal setting, staying active
But government investment in sport in shift in the relationship and resilience. I mention this because
real terms has been declining for years educators really value this and for them it
Our job at the AOC is to ensure our between physical activity
Olympic sports are properly funded and and it needs to be restored. If that doesn’t and competitive sport. For is hard to teach.

instance, we have seen Olympians going into schools as living
in recent years physical examples has been powerful. We have

While we are a sports loving nation and we have a education removed from reached more than 250,000 young people
already and that will continue to grow.
climate that fuels that great passion of ours, success school curriculums and That’s our contribution but there’s no
doesn’t just happen. The success has been achieved trained PE teachers no question the reintroduction of organised
through the hard work of the sports, their athletes and longer required as members sport into school curricula would make an
investment by governments through institutes”. enormous contribution. It is a must do.
of school staff. Given that

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