Rio Olympics: Athlete farewell dinner, Sydney

The Australian Olympic Team has been farewelled at a dinner, held on Wednesday May 18, in Sydney with a selection of athletes already selected for this year’s Rio Games in attendance. 

Among the 138 athletes already selected to compete in Rio are 34 NSWIS supported athletes in eight disciplines, ranging from boxing to canoe slalom, sailing, shooting and swimming to taekwondo and track and field. 

In attendance on the night was team NSWIS boxer Shelley Watts, who has her sights set on becoming Australia’s first Olympic boxing gold medallist, a feat that would add to her collection of medals including the gold she won at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. 

Speaking with the Australian Olympic Committee at the farewell event, which is aimed at raising funds to assist athletes in the costs of attending the Olympics, Watts said that the event helped athletes understand how much work goes into sending a team to the worlds biggest multisport event. 

“I think it makes you appreciate it a lot more, I don’t think people always appreciate how much [effort] people behind the scenes have to make to get us to Rio,” Watts told the Australian Olympic Committee. 

“It’s one of the beautiful things about becoming an athlete and making the team and everything else. Without these dinners and without the support we wouldn’t be able to go and we wouldn’t be able to represent our country. 

“That would be a really big shame. “

Overall it is estimated that it will cost A$23million to send the entire Australian Olympic Team to Rio, with the AOC aiming to raise A$8million of that via fundraising, with A$2million coming from NSW. 

It was hoped that A$500,000.00 was raised at the athlete farewell dinner.