Funding for athletes in new support initiative

The first six projects the NSW Institute of Sport is supporting as part of the Campaign Gold Coast have been unveiled.

Funded and supported by NSWIS, these projects will aid athlete preparations and enable medal winning performances at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in April 2018.

A total of $80,000 will be provided as part of Campaign Gold Coast, to a variety of different sports and athletes in New South Wales – all aiming to top the podium at the Commonwealth Games.

The projects announced today include:

• Travel and logistics support for Australia’s top female endurance track cyclists on a winter tour to the United States. Athletes supported include world champion Ash Ankudinoff, who will be taking advantage of a competitive race schedule not available in Australia.
• A new mental health literacy initiative within NSWIS, targeted at optimising the psychological preparation of NSWIS athletes and teams at the Games.
• An opportunity for NSWIS mountain biker Cam Ivory to visit the Gold Coast course before the event to access crucial recon and performance analysis information.
• Support for three para-swimming athletes, including Paralympic gold medallists Maddison Elliott and Tiffany Thomas-Kane, to ensure they are classified to compete at the Commonwealth Games.
• Funding to help former track cycling world champion Kaarle McCulloch access world class competition in the United States during a non-competition period in Australia.
• Support to facilitate training camps for Australia’s squash doubles teams to ensure they perform at their best during the Games.

The projects in the NSW Institute of Sport’s Campaign Gold Coast are being supported in conjunction with Commonwealth Games Australia, NSWIS partners and other national sporting organisations.

Alongside today’s announcement NSWIS also launched the second phase of the NSWIS Campaign Gold Coast, and are encouraging further applications for projects that will enable podium performances at the Games.

Clare Prideaux, Acting CEO of NSWIS, is passionate about assisting athletes.

“Supporting projects like this is an important way of supporting Australian athletes to become world’s best” she said.

“Having a Commonwealth Games in Australia is a fantastic opportunity, and we are confident that our Campaign Gold Coast support will provide plenty for the home crowds to cheer about.”

More information on Campaign Gold Coast, selection process and criteria can be found here. If you have any questions please contact Mel Mitchell (melissa.mitchell@nswis.com.au).