'Olympics Unleashed' exceeds 600,000 school children

The Australian Olympic Committee has visited over 4,000 schools nationwide to promote values and motivate students to achieve their goals, with the support of 460 accomplished athletes who serve as role models.

Athletes such as Nina Kennedy, Danielle Scott, Matthew Glaetzer, Keesja Gofers, Jessica Stenson, Bree Walker and Elise Kellond-Knight have visited schools in Kununurra, Broken Hill, Lightning Ridge, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Thursday Island, Longreach, Rockhampton, Mount Isa, Mount Gambier, Ceduna, the Pilbara, Margaret River and Bremer Bay. Created in 2018, the Olympics Unleashed project involves bringing Olympic athletes back to schools — some even to the very schools they once attended — to share what they have learnt throughout their sporting careers. This allows young people to relate to the athletes and be inspired by their legacy.

The aim is to show students that they can achieve great things regardless of their background. For many athletes, participating in such initiatives is one of the most rewarding aspects of their elite careers, as it enables them to give something back to the community in return for all they have achieved through years of competition and training.

"When we arrive for an Olympics Unleashed visit, it's as if we're rock stars," said Nick Timmings, a skeleton athlete fresh from campaigning for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. As Matildas footballer and 2004 Olympian Sally Shipard explained, the goals are not only sporting ones. "It's not just about sport. It's about being kind and becoming a better person. Dreams can be about anything people are passionate about, as long as they find something that motivates them and pursue it", she said.

Shipard explained that success is achieved 'step by step', and that commitment to a goal is the driving force behind achieving it. She recommended breaking a big goal down into smaller, more achievable steps. Olympic sport is a powerful way of inspiring communities across Australia, and its impact lasts long after the programme has left.

"Students really reflected on the Olympians' message. Many said it had changed the way they think about striving to improve," said Geoff Rintoul, a teacher at Goollelal Primary School. The Olympians' talks prompted students to reflect, and they began setting goals, writing thank-you letters and asking follow-up questions.

Olympics Unleashed is delivered with the support of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia state and territory governments.

"Schools that haven't signed up yet are missing out on an incredible opportunity to hear stories from so many different athletes," said Timmings. The programme was launched with the Tokyo 2020 Games in mind. Of the 486 athletes who made up the Australian delegation, 16 were Indigenous Australians. The Australian Olympic Committee aimed to increase this number in subsequent editions, and many of the young people who attended the inspirational talks in the programme's early days were around 13 or 14 years old. The goal will be achieved if even some of them go on to represent their country at the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane, which will be held on Australian soil.