The conference, to be held Wednesday 6^th to Friday 8^th November, boasts an impressive line-up of speakers, including former Performance Director of British Cycling, UK Sport & current Director of Sport Advancement at Loughborough University Peter Keen, AFL General Manager Inclusion and Social Policy Tanya Hosch and Head Coach of New Zealand Netball Noeline Taurua. The full event program is available online at ais.gov.au/events/wc2wb.

An exclusive networking event will also take place with a screening of the documentary ‘The Final Quarter’ on the Wednesday evening, followed by a Q&A with the director Ian Darling AO and Tanya Hosch. The film tells the story of the last years of the career of AFL champion Adam Goodes and provides an opportunity to reflect on our pursuit to achieve true diversity and inclusion in sport.

Now in its seventh year, the annual conference continues to build, and has fast become a staple on the calendar for coaches, directors, managers and support staff to come together to discuss strategies to support Australia’s high-performance sports system.

AIS CEO Peter Conde said this year’s conference is a key opportunity for high-performance sports leading into the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as future cycles.

“World Class to World Best is a unique chance for the entire high-performance sports network in this country to take a pause from their day-to-day and come together to play a part in ensuring we are at the frontiers of sport,” said Conde.

“We are proud to welcome presentations from international speakers such as leading sports technology expert Dr Benny Lo on how coaches can merge with science, leading health and wellness expert Professor Frances Quirk and discuss winning mindsets with Dr Andrew Cooke from the Institute of Psychology for Elite Performance at Bangor University in Wales.”

“Even those at the peak of their industry should take the time to expand their horizons and learn from others to ensure that we continue to push the boundaries on the road to national and international sporting success.

Multi award-winning journalist and author Samantha Lane returns to host the conference after successfully taking on the role in 2018.

“This is an opportunity to connect and to reflect, share and project for the betterment of sport,” said Lane.

“A meeting of minds, home grown and from abroad, with such diverse expertise is an exciting proposition because it promises to make sport healthier.”

Additional highlights of the 2019 World Class to World Best conference include:

• Closing address from Richmond FC President Peggy O’Neal AO and CEO Brendon Gale
• An insightful conversation with Dr Ruth Anderson (Head of Performance Psychology and Behaviours, Cycling Australia), Chris Jensen Burke (High Altitude mountaineer & lawyer), Rosie Stanimirovic (AIS Gold Medal Ready Program Manager) and Dr Andrew Cooke on building a winning mindset and mental preparation in competition.