From historic announcements, a busy calendar of camps and important contributions to sport, the AIS once again played an invaluable role in Australian sport in 2024.

Full house on campus

In addition to the basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, swimming and athletic programs based year-round in Canberra, almost 6,000 athletes, staff and coaches from 33 sports attended 220 camps over the past 12 months.

Many of these camps played important roles in the preparations for Paris, including a month-long stay by the Australian Women’s water polo team the Stingers in March, who went on to win a heroic silver medal at the Olympic Games.

Year of major announcements

The number of sports and athletes coming through Canberra is only set to grow, with Prime Minister The Hon Anthony Albanese visiting with Minister for Sport The Hon Anika Wells in May to announce a $249.7 million upgrade to AIS facilities ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It one was one two visits the Prime Minister made in 2024, with the second to announce a record $283 million investment  in sport over the next two years, laying the foundation for sustainable success in the lead up to Brisbane and beyond.

Minister Wells and Minister for Finance and Senator for the ACT The Hon Katy Gallagher returned in July to officially reopen the new look AIS Arena, with the work made possible thanks to a $15 million investment from the Australian Government.

More than just a training facility

The AIS Engineering team worked with several sports in the lead-up to the Paris Games and completed a record 153 customised equipment projects to ensure our Paralympians were competing with top-notch gear suited to their needs.

The AIS Engineers worked especially closely with Lauren Parker to improve both her race bikes and race chairs. The months working with Parker both at the AIS in Canberra and at training camps around the country certainly paid off in Paris, as she wowed the world by winning gold in both the PTWC1 triathlon and cycling’s H1-4 road race, as well silver in silver in the H1-3 individual time trial.

The team behind our Olympians and Paralympians

The AIS continued to play an important role during the Paris 2024 Games. Throughout the Olympics and Paralympics, the Canberra campus was home to a group of performance and data analysts who worked around the clock to support our athletes and coaches.

The work collecting vision, analysing footage and providing feedback in preparation for the next game or event proved invaluable, with swimming, surfing, hockey, equestrian, badminton, boccia, cycling, table tennis and wheelchair rugby all benefiting from the expertise coming out of the AIS in Canberra.

The AIS European Training Centre (ETC) in Gavirate, Italy, also had a busy year. As Australian sport’s ‘home away from home’, the ETC provides Australian athletes and sports with accommodation, training venues, sports science and sports medicine capabilities close to major events and competitions in Europe.

In 2024, the ETC hosted 80 camps, with 729 guests staying a total 11,231 nights.

The work continues in 2025

2025 is already shaping up to be a busy one as Australian sport starts to gear up for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A total of 865 athletes, coaches and support staff will come through the Canberra campus in January alone, with the Australian Netball Diamonds and Australian boxing team two of 16 sports holding 27 camps in the new year. Archery Australia will also be on site for the 2025 World Archery Para Championship Trials.

Follow AIS social media channels to keep up with all the action next year