Aust helping athletes

THE Morrison Government and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) are working in partnership to support over 170 Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including national jumps champion Rellie Kaputin, from eleven Pacific nations to prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Due to the impact of Covid-19, many Pacific athletes face significant challenges in completing final training programs and critical qualifying events. With support from the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports programme, Pacific teams and athletes will be able to train and compete in qualification events, giving them the greatest opportunity to realise their Olympic and Paralympic dreams. Marise Payne, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, said sports sat close to the heart of Australia’s special bond with the Pacific. “Sport provides a powerful link between countries in our region and it is important our talented sportspeople have the opportunity to compete at an elite level to do themselves and their nations proud,” she said.
“The Australia-Pacific Olympic and Paralympic partnership is helping to unlock the potential of a whole new generation of champions. “I am also pleased to note the balanced representation of female and male athletes in this cohort.” Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja, said he was proud to join yesterday’s announcement.
“The Pacific is absolutely bursting with exceptional athletes,” he said. “Our support for this programme will bolster Australia’s already strong bond with our Pacific family, and open greater opportunities for these athletes in the months leading up to the Games.” An estimated 150 Olympic athletes from the Pacific Island nations of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu are looking to secure a spot on their respective Olympic Games’ teams.  An additional 20 Paralympic athletes will represent PNG, Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa and Tonga at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. AOC, working with the respective Pacific Olympic committees and their representative body, the Oceania National Olympic Committees, is helping coordinate efforts to identify and support athlete training and qualification plans.