The NSWIS-Western Sydney Academy Rowing Talent Development Program will be launched in October as the latest high-performance initiative aimed at finding Australia’s 2024 Olympic stars.
Run by the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) and the Western Sydney Academy of Sport (WSAS) in partnership with Rowing NSW, the program will focus on developing female athletes from the Western Sydney region into future national team members.
The talent program will operate out of the NSWIS Don Croot Shed in close proximity to the Hancock Prospecting Women’s Rowing National Training Centre in Penrith, providing the ideal environment to inspire the sport’s promising young female talent.
NSWIS CEO Kevin Thompson was looking forward to seeing the program in action.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Western Sydney Academy of Sport and Rowing NSW on an initiative that will help secure success on an international level for 2024 and beyond,” he stated.
In addition to providing the training home, NSWIS will be supporting the program through funding a new Talent ID coaching role specifically focused on the talent initiative.
Minister for Sport and Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres acknowledged the benefits such a program can have both locally and on a national scale.
“The initiative provides a wonderful opportunity for some of the local youth to take advantage of the Institute’s world class expertise and potentially set themselves on a path to the Olympic Games”, he said.
“It’s the latest demonstration of Western Sydney’s thriving sports hub, which is set to play a significant role in shaping the future of Australian sport.”
The Program will begin in October, working towards the first goal of contributing one athlete per year to the NSW U21 team with the view of transitioning athletes to underage national teams by 2021.
Interested athletes are encouraged to register for testing days via rowingnsw.asn.au.
