The South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) is offering a series of Talent Search testing days in a bid to identify outstanding local talent ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The school holiday program offers an open invitation to all high school students, years 7 to 12, from across the State to test themselves against the rest.
The testing sessions are being held at a range of venues across metropolitan Adelaide to offer both greater accessibility and to use the State’s best purpose-built facilities.
“The Brisbane Olympics/Paralympics are 10 years away and this presents an exciting opportunity for SASI to identify and develop talented athletes in order to produce medal winning athletes for the 2032 Australian Olympic and Paralympics teams,” says SASI Director, Wes Battams.
“Now is the time to discover SA’s next sporting superstar given that athletes typically spend between 7-10 years in a sport development pathway before emerging as a senior athlete.”
There are both generic and sport-specific sessions, with cycling, kayaking, rowing and beach volleyball having their own dedicated sessions for aspiring athletes.
Previous Olympic athletes discovered through SASI Talent Search include Maeve Plouffe, Annette Edmondson, Cat McArthur, Rohan Dennis, Olympia Aldersey and Becchara Palmer.
“It’s always great to ‘have a go’ and enjoy that experience. We’re encouraging young South Australians to have that go and to potentially have their raw talent spotted, nurtured and transformed into world-class sporting performances under the direction and guidance of the SASI team,” says Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, Katrine Hildyard.
“More than 300 students registered to attend this round of Talent Search and in the first week of testing, several students have already been identified to take the next step in the Talent Search process.”
South Australia punches well above its weight when it comes to competing for Australia on the world stage.
At the Tokyo Olympics, South Australians made up 11 per cent of team Australia and brought home 11 medals contributing to 24 per cent of the nation’s medal tally.
55 South Australian athletes have been selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and will compete in Birmingham in just two weeks’ time.
To find out more about the SASI Talent Search program, visit: www.sasi.sa.gov.au/expertise/talent_search.
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