09 August 2024
As the world celebrates their athletic feats, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is also cheering on our athletes for their wins off the field.
Twenty of the Paris 2024 team took time out of their Olympic preparations to give back through AIS Community Engagement programs, including in Share a Yarn (SaY).
The SaY program was first formed in 2020 to help connect athletes with First Nations communities and help them become advocates within their sports.
More than 50 athletes have taken part in the program so far, including nine wearing the green and gold in Paris.
Proud Wiradjuri woman and Hockeyroo Mariah Williams, sprinter and Wakka Wakka man Calab Law, and Australia’s first female Indigenous boxer Marissa Williamson-Polhman are all current ambassadors, with Willams saying the program allows her to strengthen her connection to country.
“Being a Share a Yarn ambassador allows me to get in touch, hear about people’s stories and their history and learn more than what I know now,” Williams said.
“I feel honoured to be an ambassador of this program. It shows the steps forward that have been taken as a nation to recognise Indigenous culture.
“We still have a long way to go but programs like this one are so good for the community, both Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people.”
BMX bronze medallist Natalya Diehm and three-time Olympic rower Olympia Aldersey are both AIS Thrive with Pride ambassadors, a group of rainbow athletes and allies driving LGBTIQ+ inclusion initiatives within Australian sporting communities.
Diehm has been a Thrive with Pride ambassador for the past two years and said before the Games: “I want to be the person I wish I had growing up. If I can help or resonate with someone within the LGBTQ+ community by telling my story, then that's all I can ask for.”
Before touching down in Paris, judoka Josh Katz, racewalker Rebecca Henderson, and middle-distance runner Catriona Bisset all worked with the AIS Mental Fitness Program, delivering talks to high school students about the importance of keeping mentally fit.
Katz, who competed in his second Games in Paris, has been a long-standing ambassador for the program and has shared his journey with hundreds of young people.
“During my judo career, I have experienced both incredible highs and extreme lows while trying to achieve my dreams,” Katz said.
“Throughout these periods I was lucky to have such a strong support network that helped me bounce back. The AIS Mental Fitness Program is an opportunity for me to help give young people as many tools and skills as possible to tackle their own challenges head on.”