Sydney Olympic Park Authority Program of the Year 2017 Finalists

The Sydney Olympic Park Authority Program of the Year award recognises the leadership, culture, pathway structures and innovative practices of an NSWIS sport program.

The nominees for this year’s award are:

• Canoe Sprint: Medals at senior and U23 world championship level highlighted the results for the NSWIS Canoe Sprint Program, but it was the work behind the scenes that elevated the program to new heights. Changes to coaching, psychology, physiology and biomechanics processes while filling performance gaps led to an improve culture and mindset within the squad that allowed staff and athletes to flourish in and out of the water.
• Cycling: A change in the national cycling strategy led to a change in the NSWIS Cycling Program’s strategy, with Bradley McGee leading the charge. This included a greater focus on track cycling, which led to greater support for athletes making the transition to the track, eventually leading the way to cycling and para-cycling world championship gold medals.
• Diving: The NSWIS Diving Program led the ‘Spin to Win’ campaign that helped Declan Stacey progress to the world championships after only 18 months in the sport. In addition, the national pathway program has grown from eight to 20 athletes in just three years, while 40 percent of the Australian world championship team was made up of NSWIS divers.
• Rowing: A new national training centre heralded a new beginning for the NSWIS Rowing Program, allowing a better allocation of resources to support Australian female rowers in Sydney. Additionally, a more streamlined approach to the men’s team meant that both the men’s and women’s sections of the Australian team had greater access to resources, leading to medals of every colour across world championship and world cup events.
• Winter Sports: The NSWIS Winter Sports Program made great strides to fill performance gaps across the winter sports spectrum ahead of the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, including performance psychology, coaching and recovery services. The collaborative approach helped Australia achieve its greatest ever season on the snow, an excellent precursor ahead of next year’s Games in Pyeongchang.

“Inspiring and supporting grass roots participation through to elite performance is an important part of our relationship with the NSW Institute of Sport” said Tony Houhlias, Executive Manager, Sports Development, Sydney Olympic Park Authority and the Sydney Sports Incubator. 

“Sydney Olympic Park Authority provides world class venues for our NSWIS Sport Programs and is a proud supporter of the Program of the Year Award.

“We look forward to working with the NSWIS team and the athletes of the future.”